


Bloomtale

by Kaitogirl



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bloomtale, Bloomtale AU, English is not my first language so please be patient with me, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Inspired by Overgrowth, Lots of flowers, Warning for Flower Jerk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 09:39:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 87,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8200369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaitogirl/pseuds/Kaitogirl
Summary: In this story inspired by Overgrowth you'll read the adventures of a strange, fragile skeleton that fell in the Underground while looking for her kind. A small little flower seems determined to make her stay... Will she manage to get back home safe?
For every time she dies, a new flower blooms...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 1 – A deadly fall**

 

 

A pale, slender figure was climbing the mountain at a slow pace. Her white, snowy t-shirt and long skirt made her easily discernible among the vegetation, even though it was already past midnight.  Sometimes, she stopped to catch her breath for a little while, before continuing her ascent. But she never stopped for long.

 

What was she doing up there?

  
The girl halted once again, after climbing for at least another ten minutes. She leant on a rock and sighed, looking at the starry sky. Despite the numerous big, fat clouds, the moon was really bright that night; so shiny, no lantern was needed to go outdoors. Which was a good thing, since she didn’t want to take any extra weight anyway.

 

But what was she doing up there?

  
“Maybe this is a bad idea,” she whispered, for the fifth time that night. No matter why you climb a mountain alone on a cold winter’s night, it’s probably bound to be a bad idea. Quickly dismissing her thoughts, the girl stood up, slowly, and she looked to the top of the mountain with a determined glint in her gleaming blue eyes. If you really could call them eyes, that is.

Suddenly, the wind blew strongly, and the teen took hold of her voluminous golden-brown hair, not wanting it to get tangled. She started walking again, persistently keeping her white, skeletal hands on her head. As Elsa would have said, “the cold never bothered me anyway”, but the young skeleton lady valued her hair. She ought to keep it clean and untangled.

 

But alas, that was not meant to be.

 

The scenery turned darker all of a sudden, confusing the girl, who looked up to the sky. The moon was now covered behind those ugly clouds. She murmured a faint curse, predicting the awful news that was about to hit.

Before she could even do anything else, a small drop fell on her forehead, sliding down slowly. In a sudden movement, she quickly wiped it off with her hand. She hated it when water got inside of her eye sockets.

But, of course, after that first drop, more started coming. More, and more. Alarmed, she looked around, trying to find any kind of shelter before it started pouring badly.

 

It seemed like it was her lucky day. She didn’t have to search a lot. If you strayed a little from the original climbing path, you would get to what appeared to be a cave. How convenient. Not wanting to wait any further, she ran for it, reaching it in a few seconds.

  
Her clothes were not soaked. Same for her hair. Having avoided getting soaked to the bone, and the chance of catching a cold, she allowed herself to do a short little dance.

 

“In your face, rain!” She laughed, proud of her achievement. But the euphoria did not last long. She soon realized that she was stuck in that cavern until the rain stopped. And that was inconvenient, in many ways.

 

She pouted, somehow, because skeletons should not be able to pout. But she did it anyway. Then, she turned around, to face the darkness.

 

The cave was… deeper than she first thought. She could not see very well due to how dark it was, but she could distinguish some rock silhouettes a little bit further. That, and some vines that seemed to be all around the floor. Maybe there were more on the walls, but she could not see that.

 

She did not see the hole, either.

 

She was curious about this new place, so she started walking towards the deep part of the cavern. She moved carefully, so she would not get hurt. She shook her head a little bit, trying to use some magic to illuminate the area. She was not very good at magic, and that was a shame, because it was really useful. At the moment, all she wanted was to light up her eyes, but even that was difficult.

She took another step forward, trying harder. After some grunts and sighs, the light finally came. A blue glow started illuminating the path ahead of the girl. She first saw the ceiling, which revealed one thing: the cave was not very high. There were, as she suspected, multiple vines all over the walls. She started following them with her eyes, until she saw where they all ended up in.

  
What she saw made her immediately stop.

 

Letting out a scream of fear, she stopped herself from taking another step forward, for there was an enormous hole right in front of her. She already had one foot in the air, so she desperately tried to maintain her balance. And she almost managed…almost.

 

Next thing she knew, she was falling down.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, completely terrified.

She regretted everything.

 

She regretted not obeying her mother that night. She regretted running away from home just to find… what? Monsters like her? What a stupid reason. It was probably just a legend. There was probably no one down there. And yet, she did it.

And now she was gonna die.

  
It was all going so slowly… she hugged herself, unable to think properly. Her mind was a mess. She was even starting to hear voices… how funny, is that what happens to you when you’re about to die?

  
The voices yelled…

 

_“Retribution.”_

_“We said all monsters should be trapped.”_

_“You should’ve listened.”_

_“You must pay.”_

 

What? She didn’t understand…

  
But she didn’t have time to understand. All of a sudden, she felt a stinging pain in her skull.

 

And then… everything went black.

 

 

**Mt. Ebott. Underground Entrance**

**Nº Resets: 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 2 – A mischievous flower**

 

 

The girl woke up with a jolt. Scared, she looked around, trying to identify where she was. She was not able to recognize the place… It was some kind of… grotto? Or what looked like the bottom of one.  Her head felt heavier than usual… She was dizzy… She blinked a couple times and breathed in and out, trying to adjust herself to the new environment. When she looked up, she could only see a faint light coming from up above, but not the ceiling. It sure had been quite a fall…

 

Why was she still alive?

 

She looked at the floor below her. She was lying on a bed of golden flowers. Maybe they broke her fall?

 

No, that didn’t make any sense… even if they had, there was no way she did not have a single injury. She remembered one time, when she was younger… she tripped and fell down the stairs and broke her arm. Her mother freaked out and did not know what to do… After that, they moved out to another house. One without any stairs, or pointy things, or…. Anything that could bring her any kind of harm.

 

Yes, she was quite the fragile skeleton.

 

That’s why she was suspicious of the whole situation. Not even a scratch… she felt perfect, as if she had just taken a long, well deserved nap.  Well… aside from that dizzying sensation she had been feeling since she opened her eyes. But that might just be the fall’s fault. It would pass eventually.

 

She didn’t know why, but she was alive.  It was strange, but nothing to be sad about. She put her doubts aside and focused on the fact that she was still breathing. That was good. That was fantastic, in fact.

Smiling a little bit, she slowly stood up and wiped the dirt off her clothes and hair. Then, she looked above again. By the looks of it, it was morning already. She spent all night down there…

 

Was there even an exit to that place? She wondered as the feeling of relief slowly escaped her mind. Maybe there was no exit, and… what would her mother do? She was lost, and it was morning already. Her mother had surely noticed her disappearance, and she would cry a lot, because she had always worried too much about her. Maybe her mom was right not to leave her alone because for the first time she had been she had just ended up at the bottom of a pit and oh no what would she do if there was no exit to that place?? She would be trapped forever in this hole and…

 

Oh, no, never mind, there was a passage and a door right there.

 

It was weird… she did not have any idea of where she could be. She was nervous, and… hopeful. Maybe she would find someone who would help her. But who would be living under a mountain?

  
Maybe…

  
  
She quickly disregarded her thoughts as she started walking towards the door. She didn’t want to have any kind of faith on the monster legend. Not after she fell down a hole and almost died. She just wanted to go home… Surely her mother was desperately looking for her. If she found an exit, she would just go straight to her house. What she did last night was a bad idea. Never again.

 

She entered the next room with caution. Since the fall, she was extra careful of her movements, just so the same thing didn’t happen to her again. The rooms were well-lit enough for her to see, so no magic was needed. That was indeed a relief…

  
The new area was not really big, but there was something that immediately caught the skeleton’s attention.

 

In the middle of the room, atop of a mount of grass, a golden flower stood.

  
What most shook her was… the fact that it had a face.

  
A smiling, cheerful face.

 

  
“How cute,” she thought, slowly approaching it. It was indeed the weirdest thing she’d ever seen. The flowers in the forest weren’t like this one. Maybe flowers down here were different? She had never visited other places, so she would not know that… Anyway… she was a skeleton. She was weird enough. This was not going to make her freak out. She tried to stay positive.  


Then the flower noticed her.

 

“Howdy!” The flower said, making her stumble backwards a little bit.

 

The flower could talk.

Well, it had a mouth… She should’ve expected that. It was still shocking, though.

 

“Er… h-hi…” She stuttered, trying to regain her composure.

 

“I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower~” He said, winking in an adorable way. The girl couldn’t help but smile at him. She was going to introduce herself, but the flower interrupted her. “Gee! Where in the heavens did you come from? A monster like you should not be wandering around here! Are you lost?”

  
She nodded.

 

“I… I don’t know where I am… could you please help me, Flowey?” She said, feeling more at ease now that there was someone else in there. Even if it was just a talking flower.

“Aw, don’t worry, friend! Of course I’ll help you!” He said, merrily. He stuck his… tongue?  out and then looked at her intently. “But first tell me, pal... really, where did you come from? I don’t think I know you…” His voice was more serious this time.

“Oh, you see… I was climbing this mountain and then fell down a hole. It was awful… now I’m here and I don’t know how to get out.” She explained, smiling nervously.

“Boy, what a shock! Are you telling me that you’re from the surface?” For a second, there was a strange glint in Flowey’s eyes. She nodded, and he kept talking. “That means… you’re new to the underground! Arent’cha?” Another nod. “Golly! You must be so confused!”  


She could not help but nod again. The flower wasn’t really giving her a chance to talk, which made her feel kind of uncomfortable. But if he wanted to give a spiel, she was not really going to stop him. After all, he was helping. Right?

  
“Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! Well, I guess little old me will have to do!” He said, nodding. He made a short pause and then raised his eyes to look directly at her. “Ready? Here we go!”

  
White pellets appeared above him. The girl had never seen another creature cast magic before, so this made her smile a little. She did not have a single clue about what those things were.

Immediately after, she felt a slight pull, and something appeared next to her body.  It had the shape of an upside down heart, and it glowed purple. She didn’t know what it was, but it emitted some kind of energy that felt… strangely familiar. As if it was something that she had always known.  


It was the first time she saw it, though… how strange.

 

Flowey looked at it, a shocked expression on his face. But he quickly regained his composure. He smiled again as if everything was perfectly normal.

 

“That is your SOUL! The very culmination of your being!” He explained, while he made the pellets swirl around. She thought for a second that she had seen him change his cheerful smile for a strange grin… but maybe it was just her imagination. He seemed so nice. “Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV! Do you know what LV stands for?” Flowey asked. She shook her head, and Flowey let out a small laugh. “Why, LOVE, of course!”

 

Aawww. What a cute flower. There was something in his smile that made her trust him. There was a lingering bad feeling she had about him, but maybe that was because her mother told her to never trust strangers. But… what options did she have? She had to trust him.

 

“LOVE is easy to collect! You just have to grab these…. ‘friendliness pellets’ with your SOUL!” Flowey looked aside and raised his eyebrows, somewhat amused. “Aint that easy? Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!”

“Eh… okay.” The girl nodded and stood in place, a bit concerned by that strange process, but happy to comply.

“Are you ready?” Flowey asked, his smile widening. “Come on, get as many as you can!”

 

And there they went. Not too fast, but not really slow either. She didn’t actually need to move, since all those pellets were going directly at her. Right to her SOUL…

 

Once they touched it, she felt a piercing pain go through all her body. She widened her eyes, shocked. She had not expected that. She lost her balance and fell to her knees, feeling how her whole life was instantly drained.

A trick.

How stupid she’d been. She totally fell for it.

She didn’t really have time to think. Everything was starting to fade… the last thing she saw was the flower, which now had a completely different smile. A cruel, wicked smirk, which made him look… scary. His voice had changed, too. Now it was deeper, and mocking.

 

“You idiot.” He said, laughing at her pain. “In this world, it’s KILL or BE killed.”

 

His shrilling laugh was the last thing she heard before turning to dust.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She woke up with a jolt. Scared, she looked around, trying to identify where she was.

 

She was able to recognize the place.

She had been there before.

  
The same cave. The same faint light coming from above. The same bed of golden flowers. The same dizziness she felt before.

 

Why was she still alive?

 

She managed to stand on her knees, still confused. What happened? Why was she there? Had it all been a dream? She didn’t know what was happening.  She shook her head so she could get rid of that annoying wooziness, and she drew one hand close to her chest. Trying to recall the pain. It was as if she could still feel it. The bullets… the soreness… She even remembered the dust. The darkness… the fear.

What a nightmare.

Because there was no way that was NOT a dream. She was right there, breathing and standing.

But it was, indeed, strange. Looking ahead, she could see the same corridor. Exactly the same. Identical. So similar, it was even scary. Nothing made sense. Was that flower still there? That… that was impossible. Right? It was all a weird dream.

  
She had to confirm it.

 

So, she stood up. She reached the door again, and looked into the next room. She could feel her body shaking in distress. Gazing inside, she saw the same walls, the same light, and the same… golden flower.

Oh, no.

Could it be…?

  
There was just one way to find out.

 

The trembling girl stepped in. Soon enough, the flower noticed her.

 

 

“Howdy!” The flower said, with that oh so familiar voice.

 

She did not know what to respond. She just stood there, in fear. She did not trust that flower anymore. Bad flower.

 

 “Hee hee hee… I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower~” He continued, winking in an adorable way. “Gee! Where in the heavens did you come from? A monster like you should not be wandering around here! Are you lost?”

  
She stood there, in disbelief. What was that? It was too similar to her dream to be… well, just a dream. What was this called? Déjà vu? Was that it? An enormous, weird brain anomaly that made her feel like she already knew what was going to happen? No way.

Flowey was still waiting for an answer… His smile was slowly fading, and turning into a more meditative, serious expression.

  
 “I see you’re not really talkative? Gosh, don’t look at me like I’m some kind of scary monster!” He said while shaking his body, cheerful once again. He stuck his tongue out and then looked at her intently. “I guess you’ve never seen a talking flower before?”

  
That was weird. Really weird. That flower… was saying different things. And it seemed as innocent as a newborn baby. It looked like he would never harm anyone. Looked sweet and jovial, but… was that a trap? Or maybe she really had been dreaming, and the dream had lied about that flower?

No, she was not that dumb to believe that. There was something weird going on.

She opted to remain silent. She didn’t even want to approach Flowey, just in case.

 

“You’re not even answering… how rude! And here I just wanted to help you! Because you’re new to the underground, arent’cha?” More silence greeted the flower in response. The smile on his face started to look smug. “Hey, pal… you’re not mute, are you? You’re just plain ignoring me… someone ought to teach you proper manners.”  


  
The young skeleton took a step backwards, not liking what was happening. What was he gonna do? What was gonna happen? He just offered a strange smile after looking directly at her. “Ready? Here we go!”

  
After saying that, the same white pellets appeared above him. She was on the verge of freaking out, now that she knew what those pellets were. She breathed in and out, nervous. There’s no way she was gonna fall for it that time. Once again, the same pull, and her SOUL was out there to be seen. She took an instant to look at the inverted, purple heart. Something told her that would not be the last time she would see it.

 

Flowey looked at the SOUL and smiled.

“That is your SOUL! The very culmination of your being!” He stated, while the pellets swirled around. Nothing happened in the short seconds Flowey took to test her reaction. “Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV! Do you know what LV stands for?” Flowey asked. This time, she nodded frantically. “Why, of course you know! It stands for LOVE!”

 

Liar. Love was a nice feeling, but he was just trying to harm her. Why would he trick her like that?

 

“LOVE is easy to collect! You just have to grab these…. ‘friendliness pellets’… with your SOUL!” Flowey looked aside and raised his eyebrows, somewhat amused. “Aint that easy? Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!”

“W-wait...” She started, absolutely not ready for what was coming next. She wanted to run away, but she could not go back to a dead end, and the flower was blocking the way… What to do?

“Are you ready?” Flowey asked, his smile considerably widening as he completely ignored her. “Come on, get as many as you can!”

 

And then, the pellets were shot at her. Were they faster than she remembered? Either, they were still slow for her. She waited and then moved out of the way, her SOUL following her movements.

Yes, she dodged them. No death this time. She was about to smile, but there was no time for that. She looked at Flowey again, awaiting for a new reaction.  
  
“Hey buddy, you missed them.” Flowey said, smirking mischievously. “Let’s try again, okay? I’ll make sure they’re faster this time~”

“Wait, please don’t-” She didn’t really have the time to complain. Halfway through her words, the pellets were already launched.  


That was fast. Too fast. She was not ready, and thus, she never managed to dodge. Again, she felt the same piercing pain. She let out a yell and fell to the floor, feeling that horrifying emptiness yet another time. She tried to stay awake, to stand up again, but her arms gave in and she fell face first to the ground.

  
She felt everything as her body painfully turned into dust. And she could hear that laugh again. Again, she cursed herself for not being able to do anything right. For being so weak.

 

 “You idiot.” She could hear the flower’s voice before completely disappearing. “Haven’t I told you already? In this world, it’s KILL or BE killed.”

 

* * *

  
  
“Golly! You sure are a total IDIOT.” Flowey said, grinning. “This is the fifth time!”

 

The poor girl looked at the flower, wanting to cry.  She shook her head and yelled at him. “Leave me alone!! What do you want from me!?” She had just entered the room, but he was already saying those things.

 

Yes, that was the fifth time they’d met.

 

She had no logical explanation for what was happening. She had died many times, but… somehow, she always woke up in the golden flower bed room. Feeling dizzier every time she did. And then, in the next room, Flowey awaited.  
  
The first and second time they met he was playing his innocent card. Pretending not to know anything. But then, the third time, after he said his name, he just said: “Why’d you make me introduce myself? It’s rude to act like you don’t know who I am.”  
  
That was what made her realize it was not a weird dream.

Those things were happening for real. She was dying and then coming back to life for some reason. Flowey kept killing her. Over and over. Despite knowing that she would come back anyway. Because he obviously remembered everything. Then… Why was he doing this? What did he even want? It was painful, awful, anguishing, and she wanted it to END.

 

“Hmm… what I want? Well, it’s not like it matters.” Flowey looked at her with that innocent smile. It had stopped being innocent already, though. Now it only terrified her. “I’ll eventually grow tired of this too, I guess.” He added, winking.

“Please, just… stop…” She pleaded, on the verge of tears. She had no option but to keep trying. Maybe he would actually listen to her at some point.  
  
Even if that meant going back there a hundred times… she had to keep trying. Because she didn’t have anything better than that.

“Well, you know how this goes, right?” He just ignored her, summoning his magical bullets again. He was cutting through the dialogue and getting straight to the point. That was good, because she could focus on the attacks and not in what the flower was saying.

She managed to dodge once.

“Very good. But predictable.” Flowey mocked the girl while he sent another round of bullets, twice as fast as the previous ones. In order to avoid those, she had to throw herself to the floor. Worth it.

But now, the most difficult attack was coming. If he followed his prior behavior, now he would send more bullets, impossible to dodge with the speed she had.

  
Unfortunately, she was on the floor now. There was no way she could dodge that. She closed her eyes, trembling like a leaf, preparing herself to greet death again.

  
But nothing happened.

 

She looked up, confused. Flowey was still there, looking at her with a bored expression. “Gosh, you’re SO weak. You know that, right?” All that mockery was starting to get to her, but… at least he wasn’t attacking. That was definitely better. “If one of my attacks hits you, you’re done for. That never happened to me before… maybe I’m using too many pellets?”

  
The girl took advantage of that moment and stood up again, not knowing what was coming next. The flower seemed to be thinking deeply… but she was not going to use that opportunity to escape. She tried that the third time, and it didn’t work.

 

“Oh, I know. I wanna try something. This time, I will only use three! And maybe you won’t immediately die this time! How does that sound?” Flowey said, after some moments of profound thinking.

“Awful.” She answered. She honestly did NOT want that to go on.

“Don’t worry.” He added, winking. “I’ll make sure you’re not able to dodge them.”

 

The bullets were fast as lightning. They pierced right through her SOUL, making her shriek in agony once again. But this time, she could stand on her feet. Her knees were trembling. However, she would not fall down. Not this time, she thought.

 

“That was a close call.” Flowey nodded, apparently satisfied. “Oh, well, I’m tired of this. Maybe next time…”

“N-next…?” She barely spoke the word. She stumbled a little bit and clutched her clothes, tired. She felt unable to move, and just saw how Flowey summoned a countless of pellets, which he positioned around her.  
  
There was no escape. She realized that as she saw the flower’s face turn into a horrendous, disturbing smile.

 

“ **Die.** ”

 

He started laughing again, while the projectiles advanced slowly towards the poor, defenseless girl. There was nothing she could do… only wait for her demise. It looked as if the flower enjoyed making her suffer… Couldn’t he make this go faster? It would be less painful…What was even the point of all this?

  
She got on her knees and hugged herself, wanting to call for help, but unable to scream anymore…

  
…

 

And suddenly, there was a flash of orange light, and a screech. She looked up, and saw that Flowey was no more. Instead, a big, white monster, with horns and a gentle, concerned face was looking at her.

Clearly worried, the monster ran to her side, and kneeled down to check on her.

“What a horrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…” The new monster started. She sounded like a sweet old lady, but the girl was still scared, so she tried to back away. Of course she did. That was the second monster she saw down there, and taking into account what the first one did… maybe this one was even worse! She was too weak to make any kind of movement, but at least she was trying. The woman took notice on this, so she held the skeleton in a gentle manner, and smiled. “Ah, do not worry, young lady. I am just here to help. Here, let me heal you.”

 

Immediately after saying that, a soft green light shone across the room, and the young skeleton felt much better. Somehow, her pain was gone. She could move again.

The next second she felt dizzy. Just like when she woke up in the flower bed. A weird sensation inside her skull had her looking for something, or someone, to lean on.

The big goat lady looked at her with an alarmed frown. “Are you okay, my child?” She said, caressing the skeleton’s hair, trying to make her feel better. The young skeleton closed her eyes and breathed in and out, and then she shook her head slightly, trying to shake that weird feeling off.

  
She succeeded.

 

She opened her eyes again, feeling much better. At least now she was certain that she was not going to die again. If that monster had wanted her dead, she would’ve killed her already. Instead, she had taken her time and energy to heal her, and to worry about her. This made her feel a lot better. Also, healing magic? That was so cool. She looked at her savior, confused.

“Thank you, Miss… err… Who… who are you?” She asked.

“I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.” Toriel smiled gently as she patted her hair. “I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. It seems like you had some trouble with that flower… I’m glad I made it in time.”

The girl nodded, not really feeling like explaining the whole sequence of events she had just experienced. It was over now, and she was glad of it.

  
“Thank you, Miss Toriel.” She said, relieved.

“It’s not every day that I see a skeleton here in the Ruins.” The goat lady smiled again. “May I ask your name?”

  
They exchanged looks for a second, and then the skeleton made up her mind. She was going to trust that lady. She just saved her life… she owed her.

Smiling for the first time in many resets, she answered her question.

 

“Athela. My name is Athela.”

 

  
**Athela - LV 1**

**Ruins - Entrance**

**Nº Resets: 6**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support, guys <3 My tumblr blog has +500 followers already and I'm overwhelmed by all this love <3 I'll stay determined for y'all!! Thanks a lot!!
> 
>  
> 
> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 3 – A lonely skeleton**

 

 

“Athela.” Toriel repeated that name, with a smile on her lips. “It’s a lovely name, young one.” The skeleton smiled and said a weak thank you; she was not used to hearing compliments aside her mother’s. Actually, she didn’t remember having ever met anyone besides her mother, so of course she wasn’t used to it. Toriel helped her get up again and continued. “May I ask what you were doing here? No one usually wanders around this part of the Ruins, my child. Were you exploring?”

“… Well… more or less, I was exploring, yes. You could say that.” She replied. Exploring a mountain, that’s what she was doing. And now she was also exploring the insides of that same mountain. After dying several times to a psycho flower.

  
Somehow, she did not really feel like explaining all that stuff. She was still kinda traumatized about it, to be honest. She needed a minute.  She would caress her hair meanwhile. Doing so helped her calm down.

Toriel looked at her with a caring smile before nodding.

“Well, I won’t get in the way of your fun,” the goat woman said. “I still have some things to do… I hope you enjoy yourself. Oh, and I’m glad I was able to help you. Take care, okay?” She waved goodbye at her, while starting to leave the room.

“Oh, wait!” Athela grabbed Toriel’s arm, in a desperate attempt to make her stay. She didn’t want to part ways with Toriel. She felt safe alongside her. She was strong, and kind, and she had also saved her life. Just thinking about that flower coming back the second she left… made her tremble.

 

There was nothing she could do against Flowey.

It was frustrating.

 

Her own weakness made Flowey look like an impassable enemy. It was so easy to kill her. It had always been that way. That’s why her mother was always worried about her. That was the reason she had never visited anywhere that wasn’t the small forest area around her house. She was so weak, the tiniest of accidents could break her.

She really didn’t want to be alone.

 

Of course, Toriel did not know that. So she just looked at her with a clueless smile. “Yes? What’s the problem?” She inquired.

 

But… what was Athela gonna say now? “Please don’t leave me”? She didn’t want to be a bother, and... Asking a complete stranger to protect someone she just met was not something she felt comfortable with.

Maybe… just maybe… if the flower was not going to come back… then…

  
Thinking about it, she didn’t even know what happened with Flowey.

 

“T-the flower… where is he?” She asked, looking at the spot where he stood before. It had a small burned area, but no flower remains. He didn’t burn to death, did he?

“Oh, he ran away.” Toriel replied with a harsh look of disapproval. “I don’t think he’ll dare to attack you again. Is that what you’re worried about?” Athela nodded, and Toriel’s smile came back. “Fret not. If anything happens… I know! You can try calling me for help! Do you have a cell phone?”

“I… I don’t.” Why would she ever need one, though? Not like she ever left her house. She knew what a phone was because her mother had one, but she never actually ever touched it.

  
However, Toriel didn’t look surprised or annoyed by that. The old lady examined her gown and took out a weird, big machine, that looked… old.

 

“I can lend you this one.” She said. “It’s not very difficult to use. If you have a problem, just call me, okay? You don’t seem to be from around here, so I’ll be glad to help a fellow monster.”

 

Athela said thank you again and took the device. Upon further examination, it looked like the TV remote she had at her house. She was sure she would be able to get the hang of it if she just toyed with it a little. Smiling, and feeling more at ease now that she could actually communicate with someone, Athela started thinking about her next step.

  
She needed to get out of here.

She couldn’t stop thinking about her mother. Surely she was worried sick. She definitely was. She would hate to make her feel bad, so she had to go back home, no matter what. She looked at Toriel, not knowing how to start her next sentence. Fortunately, the goat monster helped.

 

“It seems as if you want to say something. Am I correct?” She asked, in a gentle voice that made Athela feel better just by hearing it.

 

“Yes. I. Er. I need to... Get out of here.” The young skeleton stuttered a bit, but finally managed to say it. Toriel didn’t seem to understand the exact meaning of her words.

 

“Oh, you’re lost and want to go back to the city? Is that it? Poor thing.” The old lady laughed softly. “Do not worry, my child. It’s not that difficult to go back. The Ruins are not that big, nor have that many rooms.”

“No! No, that’s not it.” Athela interrupted her, shaking her head strongly. Maybe too strongly. She felt a weird sensation inside her skull she could not fully describe while doing so. It was weird, but harmless, so she didn’t pay any more attention to it. “I want to get out. To go… up?” She said those last words with hesitance. True, she fell, so she was now ‘down’… But maybe the exit was not ‘up’, but ‘forward’? She didn’t know, so she decided to make herself clear. “Out of this mountain, I mean.”  
  
Toriel looked at her with an even more puzzled expression.

  
“Out of… the mountain? But… my child, that’s not possible.” She said, to Athela’s dismay.

“W-what?” She felt like crying. “But that’s not possible! There has to be an exit! I have to get back home!”

“Back… home?” It looked like the pieces started to come together for the goat monster. Her face was showing now a shocked, sad expression. “Oh. Oh, my. Don’t tell me you’re… from the surface?”

  
Athela nodded.

  
“I was climbing the mountain, and… and then I fell, and…” She didn’t know how to tell her in a way she could understand. It had all been so fast. She could barely think about it herself, not in a proper order at least. She needed to calm down first. But Toriel didn’t really need an explanation.

“Oh my.” She repeated, clearly shocked. Her expression became sterner by the second. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. She immediately raised an arm, to make the girl halt her words for a second. “This is not the place to talk about this, young one. I need to look at some books and do some research to deal with this properly.”  
  
“Deal with what?” Athela didn’t really understand. She was still freaking out about what Toriel said earlier. Was there really not an exit to that place? Was she gonna be trapped forever? A small tear was starting to form in her left eye socket.

“My child, it seems like you’re really special.” The old monster said, caressing the skeleton’s shoulders. Trying to reassure her. “I would like to tell you all the answers right now, but I can’t. Fear not, I will answer your questions in time. First I need to remember some things.”

“B-but… am I gonna be trapped forever?” Athela asked.

“I’m sorry if I worried you by saying that.” Toriel nodded, apologetic. “But we should discuss this elsewhere. Maybe with a slice of pie? Do you like pie, my child?” Athela nodded, and she smiled at her. “Then we should go to my house. There, I will explain everything to you, okay?”  
  
Athela wanted to trust that lady. The idea of pie and explanations seemed so tempting. She nodded, wiping off her tears. Everything was gonna be okay, she thought. She had to stay positive and keep trying.

  
“My house lies at the end of the Ruins. I will go on ahead, for I have to prepare some things. You can call me if anything happens, okay?” Toriel wasn’t really sure about leaving the young lady alone now, but… she was not a small child. And even though it was her first time in the underground, it was not really difficult to arrive to her house. She would manage, right? “You’ll be fine on your own, right?”

  
She looked confident enough, and was nodding with a smile. That made her feel better. She would feel horrible if anything happened to someone else because of her.

  
“I’ll be fine.” Athela said, not wanting to worry that nice lady. She wasn’t so sure herself… would she really be okay, after all? She didn’t know the Ruins, and it was dangerous for her to be alone. But at least she wanted to try. She had ran away from home and climbed a mountain on her own. She could do this. If everyone was as nice as Toriel was, she would hopefully be fine.

 

That’s why she didn’t stop Toriel from leaving that time. After some short see-you-laters, she just waved goodbye until the elder monster got out of sight.

 

“What a kind monster lady.” The girl muttered, smiling. She liked that woman. She looked fluffy and nice. And she had also helped her a lot. She even said she was glad to help, and…

  
Wait.

Monster lady.

 

Yes… that lady was a monster. She never really thought about it because the situation was generally weird, dangerous, scary and confusing, but… she actually found a monster.

  
Two, counting that flower.

But did he count anyway? He was a FLOWER, after all… Whatever, she didn’t really want to think about HIM.

That meant… her whole journey had been worth it?? She went there looking for monsters, and… she actually found them! She didn’t know how to feel when she finally got her mind together. Of course, she was happy, because… well, a goat lady wasn’t exactly a skeleton like herself, but… close enough?

She let out a small, incredulous laugh. She was so dumb to realize it just _now_. She had so many things to ask her! And to talk about! And… and she just let her leave like that!

Good thing she had her phone. She would be able to call her, and…

…

“… I’ll leave this room first…” Athela murmured to herself, while looking around with a suspicious eye. This room was creepy and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

  
And so, she started walking.

  
The next room was bigger, and way brighter. The predominant color was purple, it was everywhere. The brick walls were tall and sturdy-looking, and a path marked with a paler color could be seen on the floor. The end of the room had some stairs that led to a fancy entrance door, fortuitously embellished by some well-placed vines.

Athela nodded. The room was to her liking.

But before going up the stairs, she laid her eyes on the humongous pile of leaves that laid, at the end of the room. What a bright red color…

But that was not what mattered.

What really caught the young skeleton’s eye was… a small glint of yellow light that was right in front of the leaves. She examined it from afar, and got closer and closer to it, mesmerized by its twinkling. It didn’t look dangerous… so she tried to touch it.

It was warm.

Strange. She had no skin, so normally she could not feel heat or cold. However, she could certainly feel how that thing was warm. Pleasantly warm. Intrigued, Athela tried to grab it, but her hand just phased right through it.

It looked like it was just a piece of light.

She didn’t know why, but it filled her with a good feeling. She took a deep breath and looked at the stairs. Then, at the door. Who knew what could be beyond that point. Maybe more violent monsters like Flowey? Or perhaps, kinder monsters like Toriel?

 

The shadow of the Ruins loomed above.

  
She had to keep her resolve to go on.

  
She felt like she could do it.

  
She felt a strange numbness in her skull for a split second, but it immediately went away. It was nothing. She smiled, and thought about going up those stairs and face the new world she was in.

But first… she had to call Toriel.

 

Athela sat down near the leaf pile and got her phone out. She didn’t exactly know what to do with it, so she just… pressed buttons at random. The noises the buttons made when she pressed them were funny, so she had a good time with it.

Who knows how much time she spent with the phone? There were lots of buttons… she pressed them all many times, and sometimes a weird tune came out of the device, but nothing else happened. She even took some breaks to play with the red leaves next to her, to admire their color. And after some playing, she went back to the phone. This process went on for several minutes. The most interesting thing that happened in that time was at one point, when she actually heard a voice coming out from the device.

 

“YES, HELLO.” The strange, high pitched voice greeted her. It didn’t sound like Toriel, so she had surely messed up… But that didn’t matter. At least she had contacted somebody, and that was good.

“Hello. Do you know how to use a phone? I have to call someone important.” She casually asked. Why not? Now that she was talking to someone, it would be good to ask for extra help.

“OF COURSE! DO YOU KNOW THAT PERSON’S NUMBER? OR MAYBE IT’S SAVED IN YOUR CONTACT LIST, IF IT’S SO IMPORTANT.”

“Oh, I haven’t looked into it. Is there a button to get there?”

“YES, YES THERE IS! IT SHOULD SAY ‘CONTACTS’, OR JUST… CNT? … I DON’T REMEMBER. BUT IF YOU FIND IT… YOU PRESS THE GREEN BUTTON TO CALL.”

  
Athela looked to her phone buttons once again. There was this button that, indeed, said “CNT”. Great!

 

“Yes! There it is! Thank you!”

“A PLEASURE TO HELP A FELLOW FRIEND. NOW I’LL HAVE TO HANG UP. WE SHOULD TALK AGAIN SOMETIME.”

“Bye!”

“TO HANG UP, PRESS THE RED BUTTON!”

  
She did what the other person was telling her to do, and then the call ended. Athela smiled.

  
What a nice guy.

After she hung up, Athela looked at her contact list. There was a single number on there; it should be Toriel’s. She pressed the green button to call her, and the phone made that weird sound she liked so much.

It wasn’t very long before Toriel’s voice echoed from the gadget.

 

“Yes, Athela?” Hearing her name made her feel a lot better. She smiled goofily, but then remembered… she forgot what she wanted to ask her! She took a second to think.

 

Was it about her house? No, she already knew where it was… at the end of the Ruins. Was it about the flower? No…

Oh, yes! It was about her monster condition. And how long had they been down that mountain. And also, were there any other skeletons like her? There surely were, right? She wanted to ask many things, but… the most mature part of her told her that she should not ask that just yet. There would be more time later, and Toriel was busy.

She quickly improvised an excuse.

  
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice.” That wasn’t a lie. Hearing Toriel’s gentle voice soothed her greatly. It made her feel less alone.

  
Toriel let out a chuckle. “Oh, how cute. I could pinch your cheek! But I guess I can’t?” Athela let out a sincere laugh when she heard that. Of course, she was a skeleton. She had no cheeks. Cheekbones, but… not actual cheeks. Toriel laughed too and then continued talking. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. If you have any trouble with any puzzles, tell me, okay?”

“Puzzles?” The teen skeleton cocked her head to one side, curious about that new information. Hearing the word ‘puzzle’ reminded her of those books filled with crosswords and word jumbles her mother gave her so she could be entertained. She was great at them. Were those puzzles what Toriel was talking about?

“Yes.  The Ruins are full of puzzles.” The old lady started explaining. “Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Haven’t you seen any yet?”

“Not really. I’m still in the purple room.” Of course, Athela did not know yet that all rooms at the Ruins were purple, so she just said that unknowingly. Luckily, Toriel understood.

“I see. Well, take your time. I’m still not at home, but I will be soon.” Athela nodded, forgetting for a second that she could not really see her doing so. “Be careful, okay? Some of them are a little tricky. But you can manage, right?”

“Yes. Thank you, Toriel.” The skeleton felt like she should be worried, but didn’t give much thought to it. How hard could those puzzles be anyway? She thought, while saying goodbye to Toriel. Then, they hung up. And she was alone once again.

 

She looked again at the stairway, knowing that she had to proceed. She couldn’t just stay there forever. She had to go meet Toriel and talk to her. Then, she would go back home. Back to her mother. And everything would be completely fine. There was nothing to fear.

  
She nodded, with a determined glint in her eyes, and started walking. Once she got to the first step, however, she stopped. And took a step backwards.

Then she walked to the shining light piece again.

Touching it made her feel way better, so she wanted to get back and do so for a little bit. It was so warm. She felt more determined all of a sudden. She nodded again and went back to the staircase. It was not that difficult to climb it, of course. It was just a normal stairway.

 

Once she got up, she quickly proceeded to the next room. There was what looked like the remains of one of the puzzles Toriel told her about. It had already been solved? Probably by the old lady, when she first went through it. She looked through the room quickly, and noticed that there was a sign on the wall… she approached to read it.  
  
  
_“Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.”_

 

The skeleton stared at it for a little while, thinking about the riddle. She turned a couple times to see the buttons on the floor. Three rows, and none of the middle center ones were pressed… then you just had to flip the switch on the wall and it would be done, right? Seemed simple enough. Anyway, she didn’t have to bother with it, as it had already been solved. But she liked puzzles. So why not?

 

Once she got to the next room, she took another moment to admire it. More vines decorated the walls, and there were even two small streams that you could cross by going through cute little bridges. The cerulean water and the olive green creeping plants matched well the violet of the room.

Another purple room, huh. It was most probably that the Ruins were wholly purple, then. That color seemed to be predominant, so she would not be surprised if the next rooms were also like that. But that was okay. She didn’t dislike purple. In fact, it was her third favorite color, right after red and blue.

  
That reminded her… that upturned heart… her SOUL, as Flowey had called it. Wasn’t it also purple? Why would that be?  She wondered that while she walked around the place. She was not really focusing on the way, she was busy thinking about SOULS and her function. She went through another room, where a cotton dummy figure watched her absentmindedly pass by.  
  
Meanwhile, she kept thinking.

Did the flower pull out her SOUL to hurt her? That sounded quite accurate, since it was the first time someone tried to do that, and it was also the first time she had seen her SOUL. It made sense, but… she wondered if Flowey had a SOUL too. She never tried to hurt the flower, so if she followed her previous theory, no wonder she had not seen it; she knew she didn’t have enough speed or strength to deal any kind of damage anyway, so she didn’t even bother with that. Not like the feeling of stomping it hadn’t crossed her mind at least once.  
  
But she was digressing. She still wanted to know if Flowey had a SOUL or not, and if he did, its color. Maybe it was golden, same as his petals? Or green. Or white. How many colors were there for SOULS anyway? There was a huge amount of possibilities… she couldn’t help but imagine a lot of different SOULS forming a rainbow. Blue, orange, purple, green, yellow, red…

 

“Ouch!” Her train thought was suddenly stopped when she felt something sharp stabbing her feet. She quickly recoiled, scared. Was it Flowey again??

 

She stood on guard for a second, looking for the mischievous flower. But it wasn’t him.

The floor in front of her was covered with spikes. And she had missed that because she had been too distracted to think properly. Gosh, she was dumb.

  
She immediately examined her feet. It hurt a lot, but didn’t look like a serious injury. Everything was okay. But…

How was she gonna get through there?  This was, surely, another of those puzzles Toriel had mentioned. It surely had a solution. She had not seen any kind of clue, though, but maybe that was because she had not been paying attention. Yes, she didn’t really examine the room before that one. She re-traced her steps and went back.  
  
In the corridor that connected the spike room and the previous one, there was indeed a sign. Great. She quickly read it.

 

_“The western room is the eastern room’s blueprint.”_

  
The girl raised an eyebrow, confused. What did that even mean? She had to go back to the previous room to check. There was nothing there that was even similar to the spike room. No water, no spikes… What could be the answer to that riddle?

She stood on that room for a bit, thinking. Nothing came to mind. She was about to give up, when she noticed the path on the floor. It was not a straight line… and that might’ve had a reason, right? Maybe it was a path… that you had to imitate on the other room! Yes! She felt smart, and smiled widely, satisfied.  
  
Now she just had to… memorize it. She walked through the path a few times so it would stay in her mind, and a few more times just in case.

  
She walked again to the puzzle, nervous… and took a step in the direction she thought was correct.

The spikes lowered right before her foot touched them. She let out a relieved sigh. So that’s how it worked. Perfect. She felt more confident, and took another step. And then she took another, and another, until she accidentally stepped off the path and got hurt again.

  
“Ouch! Ow, ow, ow…” She hissed softly and tried to change directions. That time, she went the right way. But she had some problems; she ended up stepping on the spikes a few more times.

 

After some struggling, she got out of the spike maze. Athela needed a break; her feet hurt like hell. She felt kinda dizzy… Of course, she was not used to pain… it seemed like it was not something she could endure well.

She took a short moment to sit down and let her feet stop hurting, even if it was just for a little bit. She didn’t want to keep Toriel waiting forever, so she sat for a couple minutes and then resumed her walking.

She didn’t feel so good… she was tired, and in need of a good nap, or at least some food… but tried to ignore it, since she could not afford that at the moment. She had managed to cross that, so everything would be fine now. That’s what she kept muttering to herself in a puny attempt to calm down; something kept telling her that she would have a hard time… but as always, she tried to remain optimistic. Yes, everything would be fine.

Next room was a long corridor… nothing dangerous. She started walking, determined to get through… … Gosh, it really was long. She could see the exit, but it would take her a while to get there. She kept walking…

And then she stopped.

She quickly turned around, only to see… nothing behind her. Strange… she had a feeling someone was watching her.

Maybe it was all in her imagination. She was alone in a new place, and that flower attacked her earlier, so… maybe she was being a little bit paranoid? She breathed in and out and tried to forget about it. She had better things to do than get scared over nothing.

  
She kept walking.

 

The end of the corridor was near… she set eyes in a lonely pillar that was there, too, but didn’t mind it very much. She heard a strange noise when she walked past it, but didn’t mind it very much either. She was that absent-minded.

That was her mistake.

 

She then heard a croak, and turned around quickly. But she could not dodge. Something fell hard on top of her, pushing her to the floor. Her body hit the ground with a thud, and she could feel a stingy pain in her chest for a moment… before everything faded away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
**Athela - LV 1**

**Ruins - Entrance**

**Nº Resets: 7**

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 4 – A challenging puzzle**

 

 

  
  
Athela abruptly opened her eyes and gasped loudly, scared. Looking for something to grab onto, she led one hand to her chest and clutched the fabric of her shirt with desperate strength. She again felt that familiar dizzying sensation in her skull; it made her close her eyes and try not to stumble and fall. She tried to stay still on her two feet, and somewhat succeeded. She was surprised, confused, frightened. Lost. Her head was a mess.  
  
She could still remember something pushing her to the floor, and the pain… The dust. Panting stridently, she looked around, trying to identify the place she was at. Her panicked thoughts echoed in her mind, rambling as confusing as ever.  
  
  
What happened?  
Did she die?  
How?  
Where was she now?  
  
  
Please, let her not be at the starting point, please, please, please… she didn’t have the strength to face that flower again, she just… couldn’t do it again…  
Her eyes, watery from the shock and the anguish, stumbled upon purple brick walls, a purple floor… red leaves.  
  
Her fears vanished as fast as they came when she realized where she was. She almost cried tears of joy… scratch that, the tears that were already in her eye sockets started coming out, pouring like heavy rain.  
  
  
“Yes!” She let out a relieved laugh, and let herself fall on the floor, since her knees were already about to give out. Of course she was happy. Naturally, dying was never a good thing. Those were some awful memories, and the reminiscences of the whole incident were still painfully fresh in her mind, haunting her. She didn’t wish for that to happen again, but at least… At least, she was not back at the flower bed. The thought of going back with Flowey terrified her.  
  
  
But, for some unknown reason, she was there again. Back in the first purple room. Why?  
  
  
Well, that didn’t really matter, did it? The important thing was that she had somehow managed to avoid another meeting with Flowey. And thus, another horrible death. The skeleton felt as if she had made a small progress in her journey, and that pleased her. She laid down on the red leaves, letting them get in her hair. Who cared anymore?  
  
She stared at the cracked, purple ceiling with a grateful smile.  After staying like that for a few minutes, she decided it would be best to keep moving… After all, she had a goal.

 

Athela got up and carefully got all the leaves out of her locks, one by one. Then, she started going up the stairs again.  
  
  
Now she just had to… keep being careful. If the spike puzzle was the same –and it probably was –She would solve it without problems. Piece of cake, right? After that, she should only worry about that thing that killed her.  
She still wondered… what was it?  
  
This time she paid more attention to her surroundings as she walked. She had been too submerged in her thoughts last time to really appreciate the beauty of the Ruins.

She tried to touch the clear waters of next room’s rivers, carefully so she wouldn’t fall to the water and get drenched. She stopped to count all the leaves on the vines that grew on the walls, and she gently patted the cotton dummy after staring at its button eye for a moment.  
  
  
Everything was so different from back home. Grimmer, but… somehow, more special. More interesting than just grass and trees. This place had something… magical in it. That made her feel at home, in some way.

Of course, it wasn’t home. Her real home was back at the surface, with her mother. She felt a pain in her chest when she remembered her life back home, her mother. Gosh, she missed her. If it had been a normal day, she would’ve woken up, and mom would’ve been there with breakfast and a gentle “good morning”. Then they would’ve eaten together, and would’ve taken a walk. She would’ve read a book, draw, and perhaps watch TV. Normal stuff.  
Instead, she was down there, trapped inside a mountain she had wanted to climb in the first place. Great idea, Athela.  
  
  
  
At least she found the monsters she wanted to find. Or at least… two of them? Toriel seemed as sweet as her own mom, maybe even more. Soft and cuddly, too… or maybe that was what the fur made her think. She had also mentioned a city, so… there were more monsters down there; that was for sure.  
Maybe, after making sure she was able to get out of there, she could… pay them a quick visit and then go back home? Maybe. She would see.

After some more walking, she finally got to the spike puzzle. This time she had no trouble getting across safely; she had done it before, and she remembered her painful failures well enough not to repeat them again. She got to the other side in no time, and celebrated with a small victory jump and a cute smile. Then, she kept going.  


The same long corridor awaited her. She sighed heavily. She felt… kinda tired. That hallway… she had walked it before. The feeling of déjà vu was strong. She just hoped nothing bad would happen this time.  
  
She still felt as if someone was watching her, but… she did not turn around that time. Why would she? Last time she saw nothing. She was more focused on the far end pillar. Something was there, she knew… she had felt it before. She stayed focused, prepared to dodge whatever was hiding.

  
A few more steps, and…

 

“Ribbit.”

 

There it was. Athela quickly stepped back, ready to act. If it wasn’t Flowey, she could do it. That’s what she thought. A resolute glint crossed her eyes, which were glowing slightly due to her nervousness; an unconscious reaction that shouldn’t even be acknowledged as magic, since she herself wasn’t aware of it. She jumped far away from the pillar, and felt that light tug once more. Her SOUL was there again, ready. So it was a fight, huh? But she wasn’t ready; she could feel her legs trembling slightly… Despite that, she would try to do her best.

She looked to the column, expecting to see Flowey… but what got out from behind the column was… a frog. A big, white frog, but… a frog.

 

“What?” She looked at it, really confused.  
  
  
That was it?  
She had died… to a frog?  
No way.

  
“Meow.” The said frog looked at her and meowed. It looked so… weak, and confused. The skeleton cocked her head to a side and sighed. How was she that weak? Yeah, last time she was weak from the spike puzzle, but… come on, it was just a big frog! It didn’t even look dangerous…

 

  
It even had little flies around it. That was cute. Not dangerous.  
  
However… what a strange frog it was. Was that a face, on its tummy? Cute! Definitely not dangerous.  
  
The flies were flying towards her, though… but that was okay, wasn’t it?  
  
Well, once they landed on her arm, Athela felt a burning pain that made her emit a loud yelp.  


 

“Ouch!” The skeleton quickly withdrew her arm and avoided the rest of the flies, scared.

  
Okay, that was NOT cute. The frog… tried to attack her? Why? She never did anything to harm it! Confused and afraid, she stepped back.

  
Was everyone else just like Flowey?  
  
Was Toriel the only nice monster down there?  
  
  
  
She started to have second thoughts about staying there. Everything was going awful… she just wanted to go back to her mom. She wanted to feel her nice arms around her, to hear her voice telling her that everything would go fine. She could even scold her when she got back, she didn’t care… The skeleton just wanted everything to end.  
  
The frog looked at her, with a clueless stare. That confused Athela. According to the “How to Identify a Serial Killer” list she had made up in her mind a few hours ago– wait, hours? Or just minutes? She didn’t even know– that frog didn’t quite hit the profile. It looked confused, as if it were waiting for her to do something and she were failing to quite catch what…

Maybe it wasn’t really violent, and just wanted something from her. What, she didn’t know, since that creature didn’t speak human.  
  
Perhaps, if she tried to approach it with a pacifist attitude…

 

“T-there, froggy… I don’t know what you want, but I’m not gonna hurt you…” Athela tried to use a nice, quiet tone, not to startle it. The Froggit cocked its head to one side and croaked.

Oh, great. It didn’t seem as if it could understand her either. Well, figures. What could she expect from a frog? Although it seemed calmer than before, somehow.  
  
However, that didn’t matter. Once she finished talking, the frog summoned more flies. Yes, it looked as if it was the small monster the one doing that. The flies just appeared out of nowhere, so it made sense.

 

Wait… that was not the time to be analyzing things, Athela! There was danger to evade!  
  
The fluttering pellets were directed at her once more. She was grateful they were way slower than Flowey’s bullets, so they were way easier to avoid. In any case, their erratic flutter was not completely predictable, so she had to be really careful. She put all her effort in dodging.

  
She succeeded.  


Joyful about her victory, she turned to the frog once more, to see if it wanted to attack again, but it was motionless. Staring at her, waiting. Waiting for what? What did it want??  
She didn’t know, and she didn’t have the patience to stay there to find out. Not when her life was on the line.  
  
  
So she ran away.  


As she escaped, the frog did a sad face and hopped back to its hiding spot, where it felt nice, cozy and safe.  
  
Athela ran, turning her head back from time to time to see if the frog was chasing. It was not, and soon enough her SOUL was pulled into her body, disappearing. She felt much better after the purple inverted heart disappeared. The young skeleton allowed herself to stop then, to catch some air. Not like she ran a lot, as she wasn’t really athletic. She usually got tired rapidly.

After a short break, she resumed, this time walking slowly.

At least she was in a new room now, away from danger. A smaller, but more colorful chamber. That means, there were red leaves scattered around the place. She loved their crimson color. She felt the mighty need to go to one of the leaf piles and kick it, so the leaves would scatter all around the place. But no, she was an adult. She wasn’t a kid anymore, she had to control herself. She was in a serious situation, she had to remain stern, and…  


Was that another glint of light?  
  
Athela walked to it without even hesitating and put her hands around it. For a moment, it looked as if the small glow got brighter. She started feeling better, as If her wounds were healing. The girl didn’t realize it, but her eyes started glowing too, with enthusiasm.  
  
It was just for a second, though. She soon felt a funny sensation in her skull and got away from the light. She shook her head slightly, a little bit weirded out. Was she getting sick? It was not the first time she felt… …  


Oh, wait, maybe it was a side effect of touching those things. She touched it again just to check.

The dizzying sensation came back.

So it was that thing, after all.

Weird.  
  
  
However, it was not really important. It didn’t hurt or anything, so it was okay to touch it; nothing bad was gonna happen, so why not? Also, she felt good when she was near those pieces of light. They filled her with… a good feeling.  
  
She was feeling better. Safer, for some reason. She allowed herself to kick the leaves below her feet to send them flying elsewhere. Playfully crinkling through the leaves… it was something she didn’t usually do anymore, but… this one time, she would do it. For some reason, it helped her stay resolute.  
  
After some more playing, she noticed there were two ways to go. Up, or down? Well, it wasn’t a really hard decision: whichever was fine. So she chose to go up.

 

It was a cute little room. It had small ponds on its sides, and at the center of the room a pedestal stood, with a bowl of what looked like… candy? Along with a card that said: “Take one.”  
  
How nice of whoever left that candy bowl there. If she was allowed, then she would take just one… what were they called? The candy wrapper didn’t have any brand written on it. Oh, well. It didn’t matter. They were candies from the monster world. Athela would call them “monster candies”. So she took a monster candy and put it in her pocket, since she didn’t feel like eating it at the moment.

The room had nothing else to offer, so she exited it after looking at her reflection in the water for a minute.  
  
There was just one way to go now. She kept heading down to take the other path, and… what she saw was not of her liking. The floor ahead looked cracked. Those were certainly the Ruins, alright.

 

It seemed as if she would fall to a pit the second she walked over those tiles. Maybe if she stepped on them carefully, she would not get hurt? At least, she hoped so… or maybe there was not a deadly pit below them. Maybe not.  
  
No other way to know, but trying. Even if the perspective didn’t look so good.  
  
She carefully approached the cracks. Still scared, she tapped one with her foot. Nothing happened. She then placed her whole foot. Nothing happened.  
  
Giving a loud sigh of relief, she took a step forward, since it seemed like it would stand her weight.  


But she was wrong.

The next second, the floor gave in and she lost balance, falling to her doom. She barely had any time to scream before her skull hit the ground with a loud crack. She hardly had time to react. A flash of unbearable pain went through her whole body, and the only thing she could see were red leaves. Red leaves everywhere…

Before the sensation of turning to dust blurred away every other feeling, she felt as if something was spilling out of her open skull….

 

And then, everything turned black.

* * *

 

  
Once again, Athela woke to that strange yet familiar sensation. She let out the cry she couldn’t release before falling down that hole, and the shock of the sudden change of scenery and physical state sent her a few steps backwards, making her fall on her butt.  
She was holding her skull, dizzy and confused. Even though she already knew what happened, she couldn’t help but panic, to repeat the same questions: why, what, how, when, and many others chaotically scattered through her mind, disorienting her for quite a while.

Even if it was already a familiar feeling… how could she even get used to the feeling of coming back to life? She could clearly remember it again. The crack, the dust… she brought her hands to her forehead and palpated it, trying to find a scar, something, anything.  


But of course, there was nothing there.  
  
  
She breathed in and out, trying to regain her common sense, but she couldn’t do it. There was still something that shocked her, that frightened her. The memory of something spilling…  


Was there something… inside her head?  
  


She didn’t feel anything. But the simple idea disgusted her. How could that even be possible? It surely had been her imagination, right?? She gritted her teeth and took deep breaths. No. It couldn’t be…

…  
  
She shook her head.  
  
…  
  
Nothing.  


“Phew…” Athela let out a nervous laugh. For a second, she had thought… or maybe she didn’t shake her head hard enough?  
  
No. No, no, no. No. See nothing, feel nothing. It surely was nothing. Yeah, it was nothing. Probably just the read leaves confusing her. She played with one of her locks, still nervous and in denial. She had nothing to worry about.  
  
  
…  
  
  
Well, that was a lie. She had the deadly pit that was far ahead, and the strange reset issue. That last one was probably good, since thanks to it she was still alive.  
  
Regardless, she had to calm down. Keep calm, Athela. Keep calm and keep going.  
  
Still shaking, she did her best to get back on her feet. When she managed to do so, she patted her clothes, to get the dirt off of them. She let her eyes wander around the chamber…  
  
It was then when she realized she had woken up in the room with the red leaves. She had just been there… was there any reason she appeared there, and not in the prior room she had woken up in last time?  
  
Her eyes gazed upon the piece of light that peacefully rested upon one of the leaf piles.

…

She had no clue.

Oh, well. It didn’t matter. It was still a win-win. Even though she kept constantly dying, she was progressing little by little. It would be fantastic if she could stay alive for longer than ten minutes, however. She would appreciate it. Once more, she found herself cursing at her own weakness… But there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t change the fact that she had been born with weak bones. Sad life.

 

A deep sigh.  
  
She had to keep going.  
  
She dusted some more dirt off her skirt before taking some steps forward.  
  
Then, she stopped.  


“What…?” She placed her hand in her pocket. It was empty. “I’m sure I… had a candy…” She kept searching for it, but to no avail; there was nothing there. “… Weird.”  
  
  
Why wasn’t it there? She retraced her previous steps and walked to the candy room. There it laid, the candy bowl atop the pillar. The same message, “Take one.” was there. Nothing had changed. That made her think… did she go back to the moment BEFORE she took the candy? That was the only thing that made sense, she thought as she got the same treat once again.  
  
But why? What was the requisite? Why before, and not after? Did it have anything to do with the timing?  
  
Still mulling over it, she got out of that area, and kept walking. Her eyes laid on the light piece once again; it was so bright… it was surely made out of magic.  
  
Once she thought that, it was as if a switch clicked in her brain.  


Of course, that was it.  


Last time she died, she had also appeared next to one of those light pieces. That had to be it… maybe those were the things that were… what to call it? They were saving her progress? Like… one of those console games she played back home.  
  
Now that she thought about it… it was quite a bizarre situation. Yes, it was exactly like that. And those glows were like save points. Weird. Maybe whoever put those there really liked games, too?  
  
It wasn’t like she knew 100% that she was right on her theory, though. It just seemed like the most plausible option. She had to make sure. Maybe if she “saved”, and then died again, she would still have the candy piece. Of course, she didn’t want to go through that ever again, but… something was telling her it was not gonna be that easy. What a dangerous world for a fragile skeleton like Athela.  
  


She moved next to the “save point” and put her hands next to it.

The dizzying sensation came back, as she expected. It was funny, how she never really noticed it at first. How could she not realize? It was quite discernible. A strange tingle that made her feel lightheaded; starting at the back of her skull and going through it, making her feel numb for a split second. A really short amount of time, but obvious enough for her to acknowledge its existence. Maybe she had been too distracted at first?  


Be that as it may, it was still harmless. Nothing to really worry about. Perhaps it was a side effect of the reset magic? She didn’t know.  
  
Touching the light, or phasing through it, also made her feel better inside. More… determined. Somehow.

 

She remembered her goal; go to Toriel’s and talk to her. Find an exit. Thinking about that made her hark back to her original plan: to go back home.  
  
Resolute, she walked to the next room, the one with the cracked floor. The skeleton stared at the fissures, worrying again. What could she do? There was no other way… The ground didn’t look that badly damaged… but of course, it was.

Athela wondered how Toriel managed to cross that gap. She surely weighed…. Ten times more than she did. And yet, there were no holes.  


Truth was, the cracked section of the floor wasn’t that big. Maybe Toriel just jumped. Seemed easy enough. Not like she could jump really far… but she could try.  
  
Actually, it was that or… try each floor tile, to see if any of them was stable enough to support her. She didn’t like any of those ideas… but there was nothing else, no other way to cross.

Whining, she approached. What should she try first? She wasn’t really confident about the jumping thing… so she decided to try the tiles. There were just three big floor tiles, it wasn’t that big of a deal…. Right?  
  
Slowly, she stepped on the one to the left. Carefully… her balance wasn’t really good either, so she went. Really. Slowly.

The tile gave in and crumbled.  


Luckily, she jumped back and avoided falling down. The rocks that fell down made a horrible, loud noise when crushing against the floor above. She bent to look below… and remembered how, not long ago, she had also fallen down there. She shivered, getting more and more anxious by the second. She was not gonna make it, was she?  
  
No.

  
She had to make it.  
  
Maybe she could jump, and… well, not like she was gonna die for real, right? And even if she did… she would just go back. To the other room. So it didn’t really matter, right? She had as many tries as she needed…

…

 

She noticed how her breathing became irregular, and how her hands started trembling. The skeleton gritted her teeth, frantic. She was too nervous to do anything. A single tear rolled down her face as she thought “I don’t want to do this.”

She didn’t want to die.

  
  
Athela sat on the floor, hugging her knees.  She was trying to calm her breath as she thought a solution for her problem. Could she make it? Maybe if she got a running start and jumped for it… but she was still too nervous to try.  
  
She played with one of her curls, in a futile attempt to get detached from reality. It didn’t work. Gosh, she just wanted to go home…  
  
She stood there for a long time, feeling miserable and lonely. She had to bring herself to do it, but the memory of the fall was still in her mind. Also the fact that she knew she would fail the jump haunted her, making it even more difficult.

For a second, she thought that maybe it would’ve been better to have just died at the beginning of it all… in that bed of flowers. At least that was a nice place to die.  
  
But no, she couldn’t think like that. At least now she had a chance to go home again, so she should just… cheer up and… do it. Just do it. Even if she didn’t make it, she had to do it. Even if she fell to her death and her head cracked open again… uh… better not think of that anymore. It was only making her feel way worse. Forget about it, Athela. Just jump.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for whatever was next. Then, she run for it.

 

 

 

And fell.

* * *

 

  
She opened her eyes next to the save point, once again. Panting, trembling. Feeling dizzy and scared. Just like last time.  
  
Of course she failed. And of course she couldn’t be ready to feel that sensation once more. She had been so close… but the floor had crumbled, and she had fallen down and broken like a plate dropped from a high shelf.

At least ten minutes had to pass by before Athela could manage to calm down and get up.

Her hands still trembled a little bit when she searched her pockets. She hadn’t forgotten about the candy. Was it still there?

 

Yes, yes it was.

The young skeleton sighed, feeling somewhat better now that she knew her theory was right. Being correct about things always cheered her up, even if it was in a twisted situation like that.

 

So now she could legitimately call those light pieces “save points.” She nodded, and then looked at the path ahead. She still had a jump to make… Maybe, this time, she would be able to make it.

  
  
The anxiety was slowly coming back to her, and her eyes were getting blurry because of the pressure of it all, but… she had to stay determined.

One way or another, she would make it. She was sure of it. If there was something good about her, it was the fact that she never gave up on anything. If she fell, she would just get up once more. Even if that terrified her, there was nothing else she could do. So she would just do it. She would make it home again.

 

And so, she went to the next room again. And she tried again. And again. And again.

 

And finally, after many tries, she managed to make it to the other side.  


 

 

**  
** **Athela - LV 1**  
Ruins – Leaf Pile  
Nº Resets: 14  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 5 – A friendly push**

 

 

 

She was so tired.

  
Once Athela had managed to go past the cracked tiles, avoiding yet another painful death, she felt like some gigantic weight had been thrown off her shoulders. She made it. Everything was all right now. She let herself fall to the floor, slowly, trembling like a leaf.

  
She made it.

 

A small laugh escaped her teeth, so quiet she almost couldn’t hear it. But that laugh soon became louder. Soon after that she found herself lying on the floor, chuckling uncontrollably like a child. She did it, she was on the other side. Finally.

How many times did she try? She lost count after the third one.

 

The floor she just passed was crumbled, showing the bottom level. She had to jump against the first cracked tile, and that had caused one of her latest deaths, but soon she got the hang of it and made the jump just right. Almost falling to her death… but not quite.

 

She was ecstatic; she still couldn’t believe that she made it. She felt great, but at the same time, she was so tired… She just wanted to rest right there, on the ground. Of course, she couldn’t do that, but she let herself stay there for a while.

 

 

The skeleton hoped she would never have to face something like that ever again.

 

 

Still… it was great. Overcoming an impossible challenge. It was something that she would’ve never done if she were back home, and made her feel… strong. Yes, that was the word. She may be weak, but she had managed to face a deadly situation and overcome it.

  
She was proud of herself.

 

  
However… she preferred to stay safe and not do something like that ever again. Oh, if her mother had been there to see that… she would’ve cried and yelled and… well, she would’ve probably done something about it. Like carry her. Yes, Athela was very light, it would not be the first time she got carried.

  
Athela liked that, actually. It made her feel safe.

 

Again, the homesickness. It hurt. But she needed to get over it; she couldn’t start crying, that would solve nothing. The skeleton rolled over and stared at the cracked ceiling, with a blank expression.

  
What was next?

 

 

Maybe she was near Toriel’s house now. Or maybe not. Maybe more deadly puzzles awaited? Well, not like they were really deadly. Surely a normal person or monster would be able to pass them without a problem. For example… that frog from before. Surely, it would be able to jump over that gap easily. Piece of cake. She was the odd one out, the poor, fragile skeleton that couldn’t even fall down a few meters without breaking her skull.

 

No wonder mom never let her play on her own.

 

She never quite understood at first. Why couldn’t she play alone by the river? Why couldn’t she eat with a real knife until she got older? Why couldn’t she even play outside by herself?

 

But now, after dying a few times… she finally understood.

It is said that mother knows best. Athela’s mother was the clear example of it. The young lady sighed, remembering her mother’s sweet face.

 

 

She would get out of there, to see her again.

 

 

Feeling resolute, Athela stood up. She was not completely rested yet, but she needed to keep moving; getting stuck right after overcoming such a precarious puzzle was not something she wanted to do. She would proceed to the next room.

  
The purple theme was still present in the next area. Athela wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest. After all, purple was one of her favorite colors… no, what concerned her were the spikes she could see at the end of the room, completely blocking the way out.

 

Oops.

 

Oh, well, there surely was a switch or something around… right? Maybe those rocks had to do something with it. She ran over them to get to them. However, a weird noise startled her and made her jump in place. She looked around, surprised, but soon realized the noise came from her phone.

 

It was the first time she received a call! Smiling a bit, she took the device and pressed the green button, which she presumed was the right one to pick up the call.

  
She was right.

 

“Hello? This is Toriel.” The gentle old lady’s voice made her smile even wider. She soon realized how much she had missed her.

 

“Hello! This is Athela!” She answered, cheerful. Toriel laughed slightly at her enthusiasm.

 

“I presume you’re all right, young one, judging by your merry mood.” She commented. “Are you doing okay? Are the puzzles too difficult for you?”

 

 

Oh, right. The puzzles.

 

Athela took a gripped her skirt, suddenly uneasy again. Of course, how could she forget? She could’ve always called Toriel to tell her she needed help. She felt stupid. The frequency in which she forgot things was amazing.

 

“I am fine now, but… I think I might need a little help…” Her voice became serious again. Toriel didn’t seem to like that, for her gentle tone turned into a concerned one.

 

“Oh my, really? Maybe they were too much for you, after all… What is it that you’re finding difficult, my child?” Toriel interrupted herself to make yet another question. “Please, could you tell me where you are right now? That way, I’ll know which puzzle you’re struggling with.”

 

“…” The skeleton kept silent for a few seconds.

  
“… My child?” Her silence made the goat lady even more worried. But she was thinking.

 

  
Should she tell Toriel about her deaths?

 

…

 

No.

 

That was creepy.

 

  
She was almost convinced that all the “coming back from the dead” thing was not natural. And it looked like a thing not everyone could do… she wasn’t even sure it was something Toriel even knew about.  Flowey DID know, but she wasn’t gonna treat that flower like a normal creature.

  
Regardless, it wasn’t the right moment to tell Toriel about it. She would wait, and when she got to her house, they both would have a long talk about everything.

 

Telling Toriel now might mean they would need time to talk, and she preferred to use that time to get to her house. She still felt as if someone was watching her, and she definitely didn’t like that feeling. She wanted to feel safe as soon as possible. So she would cut on details for the time being, and would just follow Toriel’s instructions.

 

 

“I’m in a room… with a rock.” Forgetting that Toriel could not see her, Athela pointed at the rock that was positioned in the middle of the lavender chamber.  Her eyes drifted to the spikes the moment after. “Oh, and spikes.”

 

“Oh, that room.” That was a long silence; Toriel was about to call her again, but felt relaxed as soon as she heard the young lady talk again. “Rock puzzles are easy, my child. You just have to politely ask them if they would like to be pushed to the switch. Then the spikes will lower.”

 

“Ask… them…” The confused voice of the teen echoed through the line. She had never asked a _rock_ anything before. As far as she knew, rocks didn’t talk. Maybe they were special rocks, like... rock-monsters. Or something like that. “Okay, I will do that. Thank you, Miss Toriel!”

 

“Don’t forget, my child. If you have problems, you can always look at the signs. I left them so others could solve the puzzles easily.” Toriel explained, calmly. “And of course, you can call me whenever you want. I would like to go meet you so we could go together, but I’m still taking care of some things…”

  
Toriel stopped talking, for she was thinking. Athela nodded, forgetting once again that Toriel could not see her.

 

Soon, the old lady started talking again.

 

“Oh, yes, that’s why I called you in the first place. To see if you were all right, and… to ask you something.”

 

“What is it?” Athela would do her best to answer any question Toriel gave her.

 

“For no reason in particular… Which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?” She inquired.

 

Athela cocked her head to one side. Images of her mother baking cinnamon rolls for her flashed in her mind, making her smile unconsciously.

 

She didn’t know what butterscotch was, though… so she just went for the safe option.

 

“I prefer cinnamon.” She said, happily. It was a weird question, but it was always nice to hear that Toriel wanted to get to know her better. She wanted to get to know Toriel better, too… so she asked. “What about you, miss?”

 

“Oh, me?” Athela could hear a soft, surprised laugh, which made her smile. Toriel was happy, that was good. “Either is nice… but if I had to choose, then I prefer butterscotch, my child.”

 

  
Athela nodded again.

 

  
“Oh, speaking of which.” Toriel resumed her talking. “You do not DISLIKE butterscotch, do you? I know what your preference is, but… would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?”

 

“I don’t have a nose.” Athela patted her face softly, smiling. Toriel kept forgetting things, like she did before when she said she would pinch her cheek. It was somewhat amusing.

 

“You know what I mean, my child.” She laughed stronger than Athela had ever heard before. It surprised her a bit, but in the end she was laughing too. It was contagious. “But would you?”

 

“Would I what?” Oops, she became distracted and forgot the topic.

 

“You don’t dislike butterscotch, do you?” The old monster repeated patiently.

 

“Oh, I… I don’t know what butterscotch is.” Athela started frowning, skeptical. She wasn’t keen on trying new types of food. We could say she was a picky eater.

“Oh my.” Toriel seemed surprised. “Well, it’s a type of caramel. It’s really sweet.”

  
“I like sweets!” Athela was happy to hear that. She would’ve frowned even more if it was a vegetable, but if it was a sweet, she would try it. Trying new sweet things was always good.

 

“That’s great, my child. Then, if you excuse me, I must continue with my chores. I’ll be waiting for you!” The old lady was also pleased. “Thank you for being patient, by the way.”

 

“Bye!”

 

Click…

 

 

That was done, then. Athela felt as if she liked Toriel more every time she talked to her. She just had this… mother-like aura. Yes, she really liked that. It was very different from Flowey; he made her feel scared, and sad. But Toriel made her feel warm and happy. Toriel smelled like dough and confectioneries, was kind and a tad silly. She was just likable.

 

She couldn’t wait to get to her house.

 

Athela walked to the wall, to read the sign that was there, just as she had told her to do.

 

 

_“Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.”_

 

 

That made sense. More or less. According to what Toriel told her, anyway. She walked to the lonely rock and asked.

 

“Hello. Can I push you?”

 

  
No response.

 

Oh well… did she really expect an answer?

 

…

 

Well, yes. Yes she did. Since Toriel told her to talk to the rocks... Maybe the silence meant “yes”? It was a possibility… She would try pushing, and if it didn’t say anything, she would have to stop. She didn’t want to be rude.

 

“I’m… I’m gonna do it. I need to get through, so I’ll push you.” She said, trying to look confident. Even though she was not.

 

  
She placed her hands on the rock and gave it a light push.

 

  
It didn’t move.

 

 

Oops… the push was too light. That rock looked heavy, so no wonder. She shoved with more strength, and then it started moving. It took her some time but, finally, the boulder ended up place atop the switch. Right after that, the spikes lowered.

 

Great! Now she could proceed!

 

  
She said a quick “thanks” to the rock and started walking to the far door. She really hoped everything would go smoothly from that moment on.

 

But alas, poor Athela. That would not be possible.

 

 

A Froggit was in the way.

 

 

She looked at it, nervous. The Froggit looked back at her, and let out a soft ribbit. Soon after, she felt a light pull, and her SOUL was out again. That made her incredibly uncomfortable for some strange reason. It wasn’t just the death threat it implied. More like… she felt like her SOUL was something others shouldn’t be able to see so freely. She took a step backwards.

 

It was okay, she already knew how that thing attacked, so she would be okay. She would just follow the same strategy. She waited for the frog to make the first move… but it just stared. As if it were waiting for her to do something.

  
She didn’t understand.

 

 

“I’m out of here,” she said, starting to run right to the next room. The Froggit just looked at her go, with sad eyes.

 

 

After that short interaction, Athela’s SOUL went back into her body, as usual. She felt strange. She didn’t know why, but she felt as if she should be doing something, instead of just running away… it just felt wrong that she ran every time. She quickly disregarded that thought, though. She tried doing something last time, and she was attacked.

 

So she would stick to the ‘runaway’ style. Not like there was anything wrong with it, right?

 

That way, she would be safer.

 

 

Nodding to herself, she kept walking. Entering a new corridor, she touched the walls, absent-minded. What could await her now? She just had to turn that corner to find out.

 

 

Her entire body froze when she saw it.

 

 

“N-no way…” Terrified, she looked at the floor.

 

 

Every single tile was fissured. And that wasn’t just an exaggeration.

 

Every. Single. One.

  
  
There was just no way of crossing that!! How could ANYONE do it?? She couldn’t fly! There had to be a trick to it! Toriel also crossed that… how did she even manage?? Was there a map, or a sign, or something that could help her? She looked everywhere, but she saw nothing.

 

She was starting to panic. No, she didn’t want to cross. No, no way.

 

 

No.

 

Nu-uh.

 

Nein.

 

  
Just the thought of falling and turning to dust again was terrifying. The feeling of her bones disintegrating and crumbling apart… that sensation of the world fading away… she couldn’t stand it. She didn’t want to stand it.

 

She took a step backwards, while shaking her head in a scared, uncontrolled way. Her back bumped against the stone wall, startling her and making her jump. That sudden fright let her regain her senses a little, fortunately. She laid her hands on the wall and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She didn’t succeed much, because her breath was stable, but her body wasn’t.

 

What was she gonna do now?

 

Because no way she was gonna deal with that trap.

 

 

Athela sat down, still agitated. She knew what to do. With a quick movement, she took her phone out and looked for Toriel’s number. Her hands were trembling slightly when pressing the call button.

 

She waited… some seconds passed, and her nervousness increased. She wasn’t responding? Was she too busy? Then what would she do?? The poor girl was too anxious to stand a situation like that…. She…

 

  
“Yes? This is Toriel.” The young skeleton let out a relieved sigh once she heard the goat lady’s troubled voice. She seemed to be in some sort of trouble, as if she were carrying something and had little room to hold the phone. Probably that was it. Surely that was why she took so long in picking up. “Athela? Is that you?” The old lady asked after a few seconds, since no one was answering her.

 

 

 

“Yes. It’s me.” She sighed and replied, with a weak voice. She hadn’t realized yet, but judging for her shaky tone, Toriel thought that she seemed to be about to cry. That alarmed her, and thus took a moment to put everything on the floor to hold better the phone and have a proper conversation.

 

“What’s wrong, young one? Are you crying?” She asked, sad and confused. What in the world could’ve happened?

 

“N-no, I’m not.” She said, quickly wiping some blue tears off her eye sockets. “J-just a little bit stressed out…”

 

“Oh… why? What happened? Did you get hurt?” Toriel worried about that child. Perhaps letting her be on her own was not the best idea… she felt a little bit guilty.

 

“No, I’m fine…” That was true, she was fine now. After every death, the world reset and took her back, so she was not hurt anymore. But she would explain that to Toriel later. Now getting across the puzzle was more important than her HP.

 

  
She thought that, but she checked anyway to make sure she was completely okay. She hadn’t checked in a while, but she would usually do that after playing or going out for a while. She got hurt easily, so her mother told her it was a good thing to check her health often.

She usually forgot to do it, though. Her mind was usually busy with other things. But since Toriel asked, she would look it up in a quick second, just to be safe.

 

She checked…

 

18.

 

All fine. Nothing to worry about, she was…

 

…

 

Wait, 18?

 

  
What? Why 18? She usually had 20.

 

 

Did she get hurt? When? Where? Maybe when jumping over that hole? It could be, but… Oh, well, it was surely that. It had been a harsh jump, after all. However, hurt or not, her statement was still the same; she was fine. 2 HP weren’t that much of a deal. She would heal later.

 

Toriel, who knew nothing about what Athela just discovered, kept talking in a now calmer voice now that she knew that the child was okay.

 

“I’m glad to hear that you’re fine, Athela.” She said, letting out a sigh. “What is it that’s bothering you then, young lady?”

 

“It’s… well, the floor is all cracked, and I don’t know how I am supposed to cross…” The skeleton gazed at the puzzle again, and the anxiety came back.

  
“Oh, I understand. You don’t have to worry, Athela, it’s not that difficult.” Toriel started explaining, patiently. “In the floor below, there’s a leaf pattern. You have to avoid those leaves while you’re on the upper floor. It’s just mimicking it.”

 

“The path above? And how can I see the path above?” Athela didn’t see any hole or anything that would let her give a quick peek. Maybe there was more to it, like a secret passageway, or…

  
“You can just check it by falling down. You’ll land right on the leaves, so fear nothing!”

 

 

…

 

Well that was inconvenient.

 

Athela kept silent for almost a minute, trying to understand what the old lady just said.

 

She had to… fall down? But… but she couldn’t do that, she would… she would die! How was she supposed to look and memorize the path if she kept dying? There was just no way!

 

  
“M-miss Toriel, I… I can’t…” She murmured, starting to feel scared again.

  
“Hm? What do you mean? I don’t think I understand.”

  
“If I fall down, I’ll… I’ll… greatly hurt myself.” She couldn’t bring herself to say “die”. She just couldn’t.

 

“Oh my… but how were you able to cross the first puzzle? That one is supposed to make you fall down so you see the other route up.

 

“I… I jumped.”

 

“You… jumped.” Toriel repeated, bewildered. “You have strong legs for someone your size, my child.” She praised, still surprised. “But I guess that’s a way to do it… Er… well, you could… maybe take a peek down by looking through one of the holes?”

 

“Oh.” Athela usually liked praise, but that situation didn’t make her happy at all. Of course she jumped it, after many desperate tries… Still, that last idea wasn’t so bad. She could try that… it was a nice cheat. “Thank you.”

 

 

She found her voice to be a bit cranky. Maybe all that situation was starting to get to her… Well, nothing weird with that. She was quite patient, but the situation had already gotten out of hand. She had lost count of her own deaths, and she just wanted the quick way out of that puzzle. But there was none.

 

The young lady took a deep breath. She had to calm down. Toriel just wanted to help. She couldn’t be rude to her. She would take her advice for now.

 

  
She waited for Toriel to say something. But the monster wasn’t saying anything. Athela could hear barking… what was going on?

 

“No, wait! That is not a toy!” That was Toriel’s voice. It was really faint, and sounded pretty desperate. What was happening? “Please, come back here with my cell phone!”

 

  
Athela heard some more barking and growling, and then the call ended, leaving her confused and slightly worried. What was all that about?

 

 

She tried calling once more.

 

…

 

  
…

 

 

She heard soft panting. Sounded like a small, white dog was at the other end of the line. Did that dog steal Toriel’s phone? Oh, no… how would they communicate now? She felt anxious and insecure about her immediate future.

 

Toriel’s worried screams could be heard, too. She was calling the dog, promising pets in exchange for the phone. The dog wasn’t interested, apparently.

 

  
The call ended again.

 

 

Athela laid against the brick wall, letting out a tired sigh. Then she gazed at the puzzle ahead. She emitted a slight whine and looked elsewhere, nervous. Saying she would do it was a thing, but actually doing it… she didn’t want to. She was scared. And now Toriel couldn’t help anymore.

 

She felt miserable and lost; she hugged herself, looking for comfort. It didn’t really work, but it had been worth a try. She sighed and got up, still nervous, but determined to try the new plan. It was better than nothing, after all.

 

 

The skeleton walked to an individual puzzle tile and stared at it. She just had to press it and make it crumble… that way she would be able to look down. Not a bad hint. But she had to be extra careful not to fall down while doing that. Her balance wasn’t the best in the world, and if she fell… she shuddered at the thought.

 

She hesitated for a moment… but she did it anyway. There was no other option.

 

 

She carefully stepped on the cracked floor and started putting weight on it. Really carefully. Very slowly. She gritted her teeth, nervous.

 

The floor crumbled, and almost made her fall… but she kept her steadiness, and thus didn’t fall. She sighed, relieved, and let herself smile for a few seconds, after which she regained her serious face. The danger wasn’t over.

 

She got on her knees and got closer to the hole, so she could look through it. It was a pretty long fall… she couldn’t help but shudder. After some meters down, there was a really big amount of red leaves, piled in a very specific order…

 

That was it. There was a path. A very clear one, at that. It would be a little bit hard to remember and retrace it, especially because she couldn’t see it all from that angle, but… she could try. It was better than nothing.

 

She just had to go really slowly… the right tiles were to her left. At snail speed, she pressed her foot upon one of those which she thought were stable. And pleaded.

 

It didn’t give in.

 

Good. Phew. She relaxed a tad and placed both feet on the spot. Okay, she was good. Now she just needed to walk straight for…. A few meters. And then stop. How many meters, though? She couldn’t remember, so she went back to the hole to check. Then, she realized she couldn’t know anyway. She wasn’t able to calculate the distance.  
  
Whining, the skeleton got up and went back to the safe tile. She would start walking really calmly, and when she started approaching the end of the room, she would stop and go even slower, so she could check where was safe to walk.

 

Yes, that would work.

 

“I can do this.” She said, trying to remain confident and composed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I can’t do this.”

 

  
She was now crying at the save point.

 

 

What happened? When did she take a bad turn? She didn’t know. She didn’t pay enough attention, she failed. And she died.

 

Somehow, the greater the fall, the greater the fear… she even had time to scream her nonexistent lungs out before painfully turning to dust on the floor. Oh, she couldn’t do it. Not again…

 

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

 

She was back at the save point.

 

She needed to jump the first gap again and get past the rocks.

 

The poor girl sobbed, feeling awful. Her head was a mess, she felt woozy, sad, angry, confused… it was too hard. She couldn’t take it anymore.

 

 

 

She was confident that she would be able to jump that breach again, since she already did it once before, but… she was just tired. She wanted to go home with her mother, she wanted to sleep in her bed.

 

No way, she wouldn’t suffer that martyrdom anymore. She had had enough.

 

  
She was going to call Toriel.

 

  
Before the reset, a dog stole her cell phone, but now she should have it, since she just went back in time. No matter how busy the monster was, Athela was gonna plead and beg to her if necessary. She would wait for her to go pick her up. She just couldn’t stand the pain anymore. She didn’t want to stand it.

 

While she rummaged in her pocket looking for her phone, an awful thought crossed her mind:

 

If the entire underground was filled to the brim with puzzles of a similar caliber…

 

 

She would never make it home.

 

Toriel couldn’t just babysit her forever. She wasn’t Athela’s mother. At one point, she would have to let her go. And then the young skeleton would die, and die, and die. Over and over again.

 

She would stay down there forever, she would never see the sun again. She would never see her mother again. She would never get out.

 

Probably staying there was the best idea. No more pain, no more suffering. She would stay… and… ask Toriel to help her settle down… maybe she could have a peaceful life down there. She would miss her mother, but…

 

 

Maybe that was for the best…

 

 

Her eyes were blurry from the tears and her hands were shaky, but she managed to open the contacts list. With her hands still trembling from the shock and the pressure, she then pressed the call button and waited.

 

It wasn’t long until Athela heard the sound of the phone being picked up. She took a deep breath, ready to talk to Toriel.

 

But it wasn’t Toriel the one she heard.

 

“IT’S YOU AGAIN! HELLO!” A familiar high-pitched voice greeted the young skeleton, surprising her greatly.

  
“I… it’s me. Yes. Hello.” She looked at the phone, confused.  Did she call the wrong person? How? Didn’t she only have Toriel’s number? Or… did that person’s number get saved on the contact list when they spoke for the first time? If that was the case, she should’ve selected the wrong number…

 

“DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PHONE PROBLEM? IF YOU CALL SOMEONE AND HEAR A LADY’S VOICE SAYING “LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE”, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE.” The person from the other side of the line gave some weird, obvious advice. But Athela was still thrown off. What happened was easily explainable, but… now what? It wasn’t Toriel. She couldn’t explain anything to this person. Should she hang up and try again?

 

“Er… thank you. I… I didn’t mean to call you. Sorry, I’ll hang up.” Athela thought that was for the best. She still had an important call to make. The voice interrupted her, though.

 

“HEY! HOW DID IT GO? DID YOU MANAGE TO CALL THAT IMPORTANT PERSON?” He said, in an enthusiastic voice.

 

“Y-yes, I… I did.” Oh, no, her voice was shaky. She should calm down. She stopped and breathed in and out.

 

“GREAT! I’M GLAD TO BE OF HELP!” He sounded so happy. Athela couldn’t help but smile, but… why did she feel so sad? “WELL, NO SURPRISE. AFTER ALL, THIS IS THE HELPFUL HOTLINE OF THE GREAT…. ….. EH… ARE YOU CRYING?” The stranger stopped their speech when they heard soft sobs. Athela was caught.

 

“S-sorry… I’m just having some problems….” She didn’t want to tell the truth, but she didn’t want to lie either, so she went with that.

 

“Y-YOU SHOULDN’T CRY BECAUSE OF YOUR PHONE TROUBLES…”

 

“No, it’s… it’s just my life. In general. Right now.” Athela swiped a tear off her face. “Nothing you need to worry about…”

 

“NO, OF COURSE I NEED TO WORRY! I CAN’T LET A FRIEND BE SAD!” Now he sounded more determined. “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? I’LL TRY TO FIX IT!”

 

“W-what? No way, you can’t possibly…”  
  
“TRUST ME. THIS HELPFUL HOTLINE EXISTS FOR A REASON!” The stranger insisted. The odd and absurd name made Athela snicker quietly.

 

“What is that name supposed to be…?” Somehow, she couldn’t stay completely miserable if that other person was talking in that eager, enthusiastic voice. She decided to… maybe open a bit more. That person seemed nice enough. “Well, I… I am having troubles with… a puzzle.”

 

“A PUZZLE? WOWIE! I LOVE PUZZLES! DOES IT HAVE SPIKES?” Somehow, the excitement increased by 100. 

 

“No…” Athela smiled again when she heard a disappointed sigh. “It’s not about the puzzle. I can solve it… with some time.”

 

“OH? THEN… WHAT’S THE PROBEM?” The other person didn’t seem to understand.

 

“It…. Hurts. If I fail, I go back at the beginning, and I’m tired of trying.” Athela sighed, hugging herself while letting her eyes wander through the room. “I just want to go home. The easy solution. I want to call for help… like I always do.”

 

 

Athela sobbed once more. She started to feel bad again. And the other person wasn’t responding. There was just silence… was he thinking of what to say? She ended up saying something pretty personal… guess that’s what strangers do to you, huh. You let yourself open up a little bit more than usual because they don’t know anything about you.

  
Well, that was a bit embarrassing…

 

“WELL, SOME PUZZLES ARE COMPLICATED… YOU COULD TRY GOING SLOWLY IF YOU’RE NOT SURE. TRY TESTING WITH A STICK, FIRST! THAT’S A GOOD IDEA!” Finally, the voice started speaking again. He was giving advice, cheerfully… but soon, he changed his tone. He seemed more serious now. “DON’T HESITATE TO CALL ME AGAIN IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T SOLVE IT. I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOU YET, BUT… ASKING FOR HELP ISN’T BAD.” “I SOMETIMES ASK FOR HELP TOO. I DIDN’T BECOME AS GREAT AS I AM ON MY OWN.”

 

Athela listened carefully. She was gripping her shirt cloth with quite the strength now, but she wasn’t aware of that… yet.

 

He continued talking.

 

“BUT I THINK… IT’S IMPORTANT TO ACHIEVE THINGS BY YOURSELF, TOO. YOU SAID YOU ALMOST HAD IT, RIGHT? SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO BE PERSEVERANT AND GIVE YOUR BEST! SUCCESS CAN BE HARD, BUT I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!” The other person seemed to be sincerely rooting for her, for some reason. They didn’t even meet, and yet… why was he being so nice?

 

“H-how do you know that…?”

 

“WELL. YOU MANAGED TO CALL THAT IMPORTANT PERSON. AND BEFORE THAT, YOU MANAGED TO CALL ME! AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO USE A PHONE! THAT’S A GREAT START, RIGHT?”

 

“What?” She didn’t understand. She laughed a bit, confused but… happier.

 

“YES! IT’S BEST IF YOU LAUGH! NO MATTER THE HARDSHIPS, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO IT! JUST LET BYBONES BE BYBONES, AND DO YOUR BEST! LIKE I DO! CAN YOU DO THAT?”

 

“I… I’ll try.” Athela surprised herself saying that. Now, she genuinely wanted to try again. Knowing that someone was cheering for her… filled her with a good feeling.

 

“THAT’S THE SPIRIT! I’M ROOTING FOR YOU, NEW FRIEND!” The stranger was now happy. And that made Athela happy too. It was contagious. She smiled.

 

“Thank you.” She said, feeling more relieved now.

 

 

Maybe that’s what she needed all along. Not someone to help her every step of the way, but… someone to cheer for her. To encourage her. She had it, and she wanted to call for help. That was lame. Wasn’t she almost a full-grown adult? She could do it!

 

“I’m going to do it!” She stood up, determined.

 

“YES! GO FOR IT!”

 

“I’m gonna nail those puzzles!”

 

“YOU CAN DO IT, FRIEND!”

 

“Thank you! I’ll tell you later how it went!”

 

“I’LL BE WAITING!”

 

 

After some short good-byes, Athela hung up and glared at the path ahead, ready to try again, and again. It was okay. She did it before.

 

 

She could certainly do it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 **Athela - LV 1**  
**Ruins – Leaf Pile**  
**Nº Resets: 15**

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 6 – A g-g-ghost!**

 

 

Ring…

 

Ring…

 

 

The phone’s loud ringing echoed through the room, startling Athela.

 

 

She had been able to jump over the last puzzle with little issue since the last time she spoke with that strange, friendly person. That was… five minutes ago, more or less. She almost shone with excitement and happiness once her feet touched the safe ground for the second time. She didn’t have to die, since she already knew how to jump properly. She was able to do it if she just tried. That fact filled her with a good feeling and made her smile.

 

So she proceeded to the next room… it was then when her phone rang.

 

Just like last time.

 

Well, she should’ve expected it anyway. Because of the time rewind and all that stuff.

 

So she hurried to pick it up.

 

 

“Hello? This is Toriel.” The gentle old lady’s voice sounded on the device. Athela smiled softly when she heard her voice.

 

“Hello. This is Athela.” She responded, in a quite-neutral tone. She wondered what Toriel would tell her this time…

 

“Are you all right, my child? Are you doing okay?” She inquired, with a slightly worried voice. “Are the puzzles too difficult for you?”

 

  
Wow, that was odd.

 

It was the same, but… not quite. Maybe because she wasn’t being as cheerful as she had been last time. But in essence, it was still the same behavior, the same worry, the same questions.

 

  
That confirmed it.

 

Unlike Flowey, Toriel didn’t know about the time shenanigans.

 

 

Given some of her previous comments, Athela thought Toriel may have been aware of the time anomalies, but this confirmed that she didn’t. Unless Toriel was just feigning ignorance… which Athela doubted greatly. Toriel was a caring person who worried about her well-being, she wouldn’t do something like that. Yes, she definitely forgot about it.

 

Still… that fact only made her more curious about a certain golden flower.

 

 

Why did Flowey remember every reset? Was it just him, or were there more people who knew? She didn’t have a clue… but thinking about the flower made her feel uneasy.

 

She should just hurry and answer Toriel.

 

 

“I’m fine. I’m in the room with the rock and the spikes, and I have figured it out.” Athela responded, not wanting to worry Toriel any further. She was fine, she had solved that puzzle before, so she didn’t need any help.

 

She heard a relieved sigh at the other end of the line.

 

“I’m glad to hear that, young one. I thought the puzzles might be a little too much for you… but it seems you’re doing fine.” The goat lady seemed at ease. That was fine, just what Athela wanted.

 

“Yes. Thank you for worrying, miss.” The skeleton smiled again, nodding unconsciously.

 

“Don’t forget, my child. If you have problems, you can always look at the signs. I left them so others could solve the puzzles easily.” Toriel explained, calmly. “And of course, you can call me whenever you want. I would like to go meet you so we could go together, but I’m still taking care of some things…”

 

  
And Toriel stopped talking again, just like last time.

 

Athela thought of saying something, maybe a thank you, but the old lady soon resumed her speech.

 

 

“Oh, yes, that’s why I called you in the first place. To see if you were all right, and… to ask you something.”

 

“What is it?” She already knew what the question was, but she played along anyway. Just to be nice.

 

“For no reason in particular… which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?” She inquired. Athela was about to answer that she preferred cinnamon, but Toriel surprised her by unexpectedly interrupting her. “… Wait. Do not tell me. Is it cinnamon?”

 

  
Astounded, Athela remained silent for a short while. Her mind was quickly processing what just happened. How did she know that? Did Toriel really not remember the resets? Or maybe it was just a hunch… no, she definitely didn’t say that the first time; if that were a real time loop, her memory would’ve remained the same as it was the first time, and yet there she was, changing her behavior and asking that.

 

Maybe Athela was thinking too much? Maybe Toriel didn’t exactly remember, but just “had a feeling.”

 

Maybe it was the same for everyone that wasn’t Flowey? It was early to know that. She would take that theory with a grain of salt for now. It was the only thing she had anyways.

 

 

“ … Athela?” Toriel, concerned about the sudden silence, called out to her.

 

“Oh, sorry, I was thinking.” She answered, still taken aback. “I prefer cinnamon, yes. That’s correct.”

 

“Hee hee hee. I had a feeling.” Toriel’s small laugh made Athela uneasy for some reason she didn’t quite grasp. “You know, it might sound strange, but… I… feel like I already know you. Not like an old friend, but... well, it’s as if somehow we already shared this conversation before. Strange, is it not?”

 

“Y-yes…” Athela laughed weakly. She seemed sincere. Maybe it really was just a feeling. She wanted to trust Toriel, so… she would believe her for now.

 

“Well, thank you for your selection.” The old lady continued talking, in a merry tone now that she knew the answer to her question.

 

  
Then she hung up, leaving the young skeleton jumbled and confused. The conversation had been way shorter than last time… it seems like her word choices really did matter. Interesting.

 

She took a step forward, wanting to solve the puzzle, but the phone rang almost immediately after she placed it back in her pocket. She hurried to get it.

 

 

“Hello? This is Toriel.” Yes, it was Toriel. Who else could it be, anyway?

 

  
Well… it could be the friendly person from before, but she somehow doubted he would call her. Not at that moment, at least. It didn’t match the last timeline.

 

  
“You do not DISLIKE butterscotch, do you?” Toriel continued speaking. “I know what your preference is, but… would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?”

 

“No, not at all. I like sweets.” Athela answered, patiently. True, she never got to ask that before she hung up. She now wondered why she was asking all those things. It was a strange conversation starter. Oh, well. It didn’t matter.

 

“Right, right, I understand.” She noted in a quiet voice. “Thank you for being patient, by the way.”

 

“Oh, wait!” It felt as if Toriel was gonna hang up again, and for some reason Athela felt like saying something. “Please… take good care of your phone.”

 

“Oh…? Strange petition.” She seemed confused. “I’ll do that, then. Thank you. And bye for now~”

 

“Yes. Bye.”

 

 

Silence reigned in the room once again as soon as the skeleton hung up. She sighed, still feeling as if Toriel’s phone was gonna get stolen anyway.

 

 

In any case. It was time to get on with the puzzles. They were not gonna solve themselves, were they?

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Cinnamon.”

 

“Eh… excuse me?”

 

  
Toriel didn’t know what had gotten into that young lady. What was she speaking about? She had barely said hello and yet… cinnamon?

 

  
“Sorry… I mean... I am doing fine. I’m on my way there.” Athela rubbed her temples, trying to remind herself to stay calm and happy for Toriel.

 

 

It was really difficult to be patient, though, if it was already the fourth time they were having that conversation.

 

 

Yes, she had died thrice since the last time she had that chat with Toriel. The first two were not that surprising, but… the last one had been so stupid! She was still mad at that. She had been so close, but she had failed at the last step. The poor skeleton was really frustrated.

 

And Toriel asking ONCE AGAIN if she liked cinnamon or butterscotch didn’t help her feel any better. All those time jumps were driving her insane.

 

But she had to be understanding. From Toriel’s perspective, this was the first time they were having this conversation. Of course she didn’t know. She was doing her best to stay patient. Patience wasn’t her strong suit, but she was really trying.

 

 

“Oh, well, I’m glad to hear that. Where are you right now?” Toriel asked, still a little bit confused about what the teen had said a minute ago.

 

“The second cracked floor puzzle.” She lied. Well, it wasn’t really a lie. She was there a couple minutes ago. In a previous timeline. How rattling…

 

“I see.” Toriel exhaled a relieved sigh. “Well, that one is easy. You shouldn’t have much trouble with it.”

 

  
Athela refrained from letting out a disdained, miserable laugh. Instead, she got directly to the point.

 

  
“And I love cinnamon.” She stated, with a serious voice. She added more things, because she didn’t want to look like she just read Toriel’s mind. People who can read your mind are creepy. She didn’t want to be creepy. “I love all sweets. And I really love cherries and blueberries too.”

 

“Oh my, what a random comment.” The old lady laughed. “I’m glad to see you’re not picky with your sweets. Then again, not many children are. Oh, sorry, you’re not really a child, are you, Athela?”

 

“I’m nineteen.” She was still a teen. But she was old enough to be considered an adult. Or at least, that’s what she wanted to think.

 

“Such a grown up lady. Very well, I’ll leave you to the puzzles now.” Toriel said before hanging up, leaving Athela alone once again.

 

 

But the young skeleton wasn’t worried about that. For now, she knew exactly what was waiting for her, so she wasn’t as anxious as she could’ve been. Once she cleared that next puzzle, she would be at ease. And then she would get nervous again because the path would be unclear yet again.

 

But she would worry about that later.

 

For the time being, she would continue moving.

 

 

 

Athela kept moving, ready to solve the rock puzzle.

 

She rubbed her right eye socket and blinked a bit, feeling uncomfortable once again. During the phone call, she didn’t give it much thought, but it had been a couple of resets already… and she kept feeling as if she could not see very well with her right eye.

 

She didn’t know why that was. Maybe she had probably reached her mental limit and needed a break? She wanted to believe that. Because she could not think of any other answer to the situation. Her vision was kinda blurry… what a bother.

 

At first, it scared her to no end. She just woke up by the leaf pile and, instead of a small dizziness, she felt a strange pressure on the back of her skull. She didn’t know why. And to add it up, her right eye was slightly hazy. She thought she had just gotten something inside her eye sockets; a leaf, perhaps. But it kept happening.

 

Time had passed and she never found a solution to that riddle, so she just… let it be. It’s not like she was blind or anything. It was probably just stress. Her magic was unstable and tied to her emotions, it could be just because of the constant anxiety of death and all that stuff. It would pass with a good nap. That is, once she got to Toriel’s house.

 

 

The skeleton lady made her right eye glow slightly to clear her vision a bit.

  
Much better.

 

Then, she would proceed to push that rock.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She did it.

 

She finally did it.

 

 

Athela looked back at the puzzle.

 

 

It was solved. She passed and she didn’t fall down, she didn’t take any damage. Finally. The skeleton let herself lean against the purple brick wall and gave a deep sigh. She really hoped there was a save point nearby, because if she had to go through all that again, she would go insane.

 

Regardless. It was done. She was so proud of herself. The phone guy was right, she could do it if she really tried. It only cost her… what? A few deaths? She could go back in time, even if she didn’t really know how she was doing it, so… aside from the horrifying experience and the suffering and distress, in the end, that was fine.

 

She would think of it as… a visit to the dentist.

 

 

Well, not like she ever visited a dentist. But her books said dentists were stressful and bad. They wanted your teeth. No way, José. She would keep her teeth, thank you.

 

But she was digressing.

 

 

It was slightly morbid, how she was getting used to death. Oh, if her mother just knew.

 

 

But mother was not there.

 

  
She sighed once she remembered that. She missed her. That feeling… she frowned and kept walking. The sooner she finished, the sooner she would get back home.

 

So she proceeded onto the next room.

 

 

 

The first thing she noticed was that there were no save points there. That made her whine. She was tired… and wanted to feel safe. Guess she would have to be a tad more patient.

 

 

At least that room’s puzzle was really similar to the last rock one. In fact, it was the same. There were just three rocks, instead of one.

 

 

Well, pushing time.

 

 

 

The girl sighed and started doing so. The rocks were heavy, but she could push them without getting hurt, and that was definitely better than falling down a pit and dying. Again.

 

So she was grateful for that puzzle. Deep down, she just wanted the whole puzzle ordeal to end, but for now she would roll with what she had.

 

 

“WHOA there, pardner! Who said you could push me around?” A grumpy voice startled Athela, who looked away from… the nothing she was staring at, and looked around, looking for the source of that voice. But there was no one around… what…? She rubbed her right eye again, and tried making it glow again, just in case her now slightly blurry vision was playing a prank on her and she was missing something… or someone.

 

“Who…?” Poor confused girl, she still could not see anyone. Luckily, she soon heard a sigh, and then the voice resumed.

 

“Down here, miss.”

 

 

Athela looked down, since apparently the voice came from… the rock?

 

Oh.

 

She suddenly remembered what Toriel told her about speaking to the rocks.

 

Oh jeeze, that was equally shocking and embarrassing.

 

  
“Sorry, sir! Miss? Rock.” She wasn’t even sure if rocks had a gender. Her politeness was neutralized by the gender neutrality. That was getting awkward… better if she explained quickly. “I just wanted to solve the puzzle. I didn’t mean to push you.”

 

“That’s exactly what you were doing, though.” The boulder answered, boldly.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to get mad.” Yes, awkward. “I just really need to solve this… could you please move a bit? If you don’t like me pushing you, that is.”

 

Well, she just asked a rock to move. Good job, Athela.

It didn’t seem mad about it, though.

 

“Hmm? So you’re ASKIN’ me to move over?” The rock took a moment to think. “Okay, just for you, pumpkin.” It said, now in a sweeter voice. It seemed as if it liked Athela’s politeness.

 

  
And then, Athela was witness of how a rock without arms and legs moved.

 

Amazing.

 

How could it be doing it?

 

…

 

That was not enough to get on the switch, though.

 

  
“Eh… maybe move a bit more? Please?” She pleaded.

 

“Hmm? You want me to move some more? Alrighty, how’s this?”

 

 

And it moved again.

 

Astounding.

 

…

 

Wrong direction, though.

 

 

 

After clearing the misunderstanding and talking for a little bit, (Athela never specified that she wanted the rock to go to the SWITCH, so no wonder), the rock placed itself on the switch.

 

 

“Thank you!” The skeleton smiled and immediately started walking again. Now the spikes were down, and she would be able to get through. Or… so she thought.

 

 

Before she was able to get to cross the path, the spikes went up again.

 

 

She shrieked, surprised, and barely stopped herself from placing her entire foot on the pointy surface. Her foot still touched the spikes, and it still hurt.

 

Why did that happen? Was it timed, or did something go wrong? She looked back to the rocks and saw the issue… Miss Mister Rock had moved from the switch. Well, wasn’t that great?

 

She wondered if it was doing it on purpose. But alas, that didn’t really matter. It was just a rock, after all.

  
“No! Stay there, please!” Athela shouted from her actual place, not wanting to go back to that spot.

 

“Hmm? So you wanted me to STAY there? You’re giving me a real workout!” The rock shouted back, but moved without complaints.

 

 

Finally.

 

 

Just in case the rock changed its mind, Athela decided to run over the now lowered spikes. She managed to cross safely; that was good. She yelled “thank you”, but got no response. Maybe it couldn’t hear her from there.

 

Whatever, she did it. Yay! Golden star! She was proud of herself.

 

  
Smiling, she entered the next room. More purple rooms silently greeted her. But not just the walls. There was something Athela had been desperately wanting to see from a very long time; she smiled and ran to it.

 

 

A save point.

 

Finally.

 

 

“Here we are!” She said, placing her hands upon the yellowish light. It was warm. Maybe warmer than she remembered? Or it could just be the excitement of seeing another of those again.

 

Gosh, it had felt like an eternity!

 

 

The small glow became brighter for a second, and Athela shut her eyes strongly. A brief sensation of relief spread through her whole body, just to suddenly stop few seconds later.

 

 

There it was. That pressure on the back of her skull, again. It was uncomfortable, and she didn’t understand why it was happening. She blamed it on her mental exhaustion, but it was weird that it only occurred at certain times. Upon death, and…when she touched the light.

 

Maybe the light wasn’t as good as it seemed. But she had no other option. She had to use them. In such a dangerous world, she needed to use save points. If not, she would just be stuck in a constant loop. Forced to go back to the beginning.

 

 

No.

 

 

She was grateful she had those save points. She would continue to use them, no matter what would happen. They were a useful tool for her to get out of that place. She was not gonna let them go to waste.

 

 

 

However, she was still worried about the strange pressure… and of course, about her blurry vision. That bothered her the most. She had tried to place a few fingers inside her eye socket when she first noticed the issue… but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t dare to put anything inside her skull. Just imagining it freaked her out a bit.

 

Athela sighed. She could really use a mirror. She wanted to know what was wrong with her eyes. If her mother was there, she would check for her, but…

 

  
She would have to ask Toriel later.

 

 

  
The fact that she was closer to the end of her journey; the fact that she was really progressing on her own… It filled her with perseverance.

 

 

 

Once she made sure her head was okay, as well as her mental state, she let her hands off the save point and kept walking.

 

The room had a small table with a small piece of cheese, but she had no business with that. She was not going to eat something that wasn’t hers, and even less so if she didn’t even know how long it’d been there. She was still curious about who the table belonged to. Or the cheese. Well, they both probably belonged to the same person, but… who? A mouse? Why would the mouse need a table anyway, if not to place the cheese? And where did the cheese come from? It seemed to be stuck to the table…

 

Oh, well. She didn’t want to think about that. She was quite anxious to keep going. She felt like she had spent hours walking. She really wanted to take a nap or something.

 

 

Like that ghost that was lying on the ground, right in front of her.

 

 

…

 

  
Wait, what?

 

A GHOST??

 

 

Athela stopped in her tracks, scared. She had read enough books to know ghosts were… spooky. She didn’t like spooky things. Oh, no. What was she gonna do? Was that ghost going to haunt her?

 

She didn’t dare to approach.

 

 

It was quite big… and it was completely blocking the way. The spirit seemed to be sleeping atop some red leaves. With a peaceful expression.

 

Sleeping?

 

Did ghosts need sleep?

 

 

Wait, if she approached it… it was just saying “Z” out loud. She first thought that was a weird snore, but…

 

That ghost was definitely awake.

 

 

What was she gonna do now?

 

 

“Eh… erm…” She tried to gather some courage to talk to it. Ghosts scared her, but… it was probably just another monster that happened to look like a ghost. She couldn’t just stand there, waiting for that stranger to leave. She would try convincing it to do so instead.  The skeleton walked to the ‘sleeping’ ghost. “E-excuse me…”

 

 

Next thing she knew the ghost stood up, leaving its leaf bed, and her SOUL was out of her body. She yelped and took a step back, frightened. The ghost didn’t seem happy with that.

 

 

“Oh… I am sorry. I startled you, didn’t I? Oh… I didn’t mean to…” What a sad face. Athela was not expecting that reaction. She expected… something else, like… an ominous “ooooh” or… well, something scary. But… wait, was it crying?

 

“Are you crying?” She asked, surprised. She didn’t know ghosts could cry. Well, that was a monster for you. The entity’s tears were flying through the room, slowly… The faint odor of ectoplasm permeated the vicinity.

 

 

 

Great. Now she felt bad.

 

  
“Oh… yes… I’m crying. I’m sorry, I… oh… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”

 

“No, no, please don’t… ouch!” She hissed in pain when one of the tears slightly brushed her SOUL by accident. That stung! Weren’t those normal tears made of normal water? Why did they hurt so much? It felt like acid…

 

Oh, no. To add more tension to the whole situation, Athela noticed that she had a mere half of her HP remaining. Only 10 left… Oh no indeed. She could not take many more of those tears. They were… painful. And her SOUL was so weak…

 

 

“Please, don’t cry! I’m sorry!” She tried apologizing. Maybe she had done something wrong to make that ghost cry. She still felt a little bit bad about it. The fear hadn’t disappeared completely, so the guilt hadn’t completely set in yet.

 

“Oh no… I made you feel like you needed to apologize to me… I’m sorry…” The ghost laid down again, facing the leaves on the floor. It seemed as if it didn’t feel up to do anything.

 

“No, it’s not that…” Good job, Athela. One mistake after another. “Please, don’t be sad. I just want to go through…”

 

The sad ghost rolled over, to look at her in the eyes. Its white, blank eyes seemed to stare right through her.

 

 

“Sorry for being in the way… Oh, I… I guess I’ll move…” Some more tears came out, and even though Athela tried to evade them, but there were too many. It looked like the ghost was getting sadder by the second. A few tears hit her, and she was left with just 5 HP… but right after that, the skeleton’s purple soul was pulled into her body once again.

 

“Oh… Thank you.” The ordeal had finished. And she was alive. She managed to stand up to that monster without running away. Way to go! She was really messed up now, but… at least she was done.

 

“I usually come to the ruins because there’s nobody around…but today you came. I’m sorry if I bothered you…” The ghost paused to stare at the ceiling with a sad expression. “Oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way…”

 

 

And with those words, it started becoming more and more translucent, until it completely disappeared from the girl’s sight.

 

Athela felt… bad.

 

 

That ghost looked so sad, and somehow she had managed to make it even sadder. He was out of the way now, but…

 

She stared at the crimson leaves, feeling sorry. That ghost had attacked her, yes, but it didn’t seem so bad. Just a sad fella… with acid tears. That surely wasn’t his fault. And somehow, in the middle of the confusion and the waterworks, she had felt a bit of its pain… she didn’t get why exactly the ghost was so sad, but now she felt bad.

Maybe she should’ve said something to cheer it up. She would’ve liked it if someone did the same for her.

 

She felt pretty bad, but not just because of that. Her HP was really low, she should be careful. She had a candy… maybe she should eat it?

 

Or maybe she could save the candy, and go back to the save point. If she remembered correctly, touching it restored her HP. So she would save the candy for later, just in case she really needed it later on. It was important to not waste food.

 

She nodded, resolved, and turned around to go back to the previous room.

 

 

 

A great spark of fear shocked her whole body when she did so.

 

  
Athela started trembling, and took a step backwards, her pupils widening and her teeth clicking. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

 

She had accepted that she would have to see him again, but… why so soon?

 

And why did that innocent smile cause her so much fear?

 

 

“Hee hee hee…” A creepy snicker echoed through the room, making Athela’s brain start sending red alerts. But her body would not move. “Howdy!”

 

“W-why are… you…” She tried saying something, but her mind was not working properly at the moment. Flowey’s smile became wider.

 

“Boy, are you **pathetic**.” He mocked her once again. “I can’t believe you had to try so many times to get through those simple puzzles. All that crying, all that suffering… it’s SO entertaining!”

 

 

Athela managed to take another step back, slowly. She wanted to get out of there. But something, maybe terror, affixed her to the ground.

 

Maybe Flowey was so scary because he just held a cheerful smile while he was beating you without mercy. Maybe he was scary because the face behind that happy mask of his was dreadful and unsettling. Maybe…

 

  
“But you know what?” Flowey kept speaking innocently, unsettling Athela even further, and making him the center of her attention. “That last show you pulled against Napstablook. Golly, that was good! I really liked it!”

 

“What…?” A compliment? That didn’t seem right. Also, was that the ghost’s name? Napstablook?

 

“They cried, cried and cried. And it was your fault~” The golden flower seemed to be enjoying the situation. “They almost killed you, too! I wonder…”

 

 

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. His expression became more serious as he thought… Athela didn’t know what, but surely nothing good.

 

The creepy smile he offered next second confirmed her thoughts.

 

  
“Yes. I want to see that part again.” He laughed as he summoned a row of his good ol’ ‘friendliness pellets’.

 

 

Athela was a bit slow to catch that. See it again? But the battle already happened, how…?

 

Oh.

 

Once she realized, she felt as if her whole body wanted to give out. The skeleton tried to move, but before she could do anything, her SOUL was yanked out of her body. It felt like a death sentence.

 

 

 

She didn’t even had time to react before the bullets pierced through it, filling her entire body with unbearable pain. Then, as fast as the pain had come, everything turned black, and Athela’s dust spread all over the floor… along with a bunch of small golden flowers.

 

 

Flowey stared at them with an indecipherable smile.

 

 

And then, time went back once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Athela - LV 1**   
**Ruins – Mouse Hole**   
**Nº Resets: 20**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 7 – A horrific advice**

 

 

Once again, Athela woke up with a sudden jolt and the feeling of her skull being pushed from the inside. The fear spread through her whole body because of the memories of what had happened a second ago, in the last timeline.

 

Trying to avoid an attack that now didn’t exist, the skeleton bumped roughly into the purple brick wall that was behind her, hitting her head as a result. She yelped and rubbed the hurt area, while she tried to organize her thoughts. But only one thing echoed in her mind, loud enough to drown out everything else.

 

 

Flowey.

 

 

Flowey was there, somewhere, watching her. Spying on her every move. He remembered everything that happened in the previous timelines, he knew the struggles she was facing, and yet, he just watched. For funsies.

 

That thought terrified her.

 

She was just putting on a show for him – she was around just to entertain him... If she failed to do so... if he got bored, or if he just wanted to see something again… she was completely at his mercy. The thought was dreadful. She never had any real chance.

 

 

Her eyes were watery again. She quickly tried to wipe off the tears; she didn’t want to look like a crybaby. Even if she was… she just didn’t want to give Flowey the satisfaction of seeing her cry again.

 

Why did he enjoy doing things like that?

 

She never did anything to him, and yet… there she was, haunted by a psychotic flower.

 

 

And as he said… she would have to do everything again. Oh, no. The battle, the angst… everything.

 

  
Athela tried to calm down a bit, but didn’t succeed much. Her hands were shaking like leaves, and her breathing was unstable. She led her hands to her hair and made them play with her locks in a futile attempt to stop thinking about her problems.

 

Well, maybe it wasn’t THAT futile. Doing that always managed to calm her down. She could abstract her mind a little, and then think about her next move.

 

 

Up ahead… that ghost was still there. Just as before.

 

Napstablook... was that their name?

 

 

She wasn’t scared of them anymore. People who cried only made her feel compassion. The girl felt bad about what she said earlier, so… maybe this was an opportunity for her to fix things. Maybe she could cheer them up. She had never tried to cheer up anyone before, but… hey, maybe it would work out. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

 

  
Maybe she could get something positive from this forced reset. She could try to make a friend.

 

 

Feeling resolute again, she walked to the next room, towards the sleeping ghost. They were doing the same as before, saying “Z” out loud, pretending to sleep.  
  
Athela sighed and took a couple of deep breaths, getting ready for what was to come.

 

 

The skeleton took a step forward, and said a short “hi”.

 

And so, the battle began; her SOUL came out once again.

 

She wasn’t ready.

 

 

The ghost awaited there, looking at her with a sad look. They seemed as nervous as she was.

 

  
“H-hello. How are you?” Athela decided to be polite and patient. Maybe a short introduction would be nice. “My name is Athela.”

 

“Oh…?” The ghost looked as if they were confused. The truth is, they were not comfortable around new people. And now a stranger was being polite for some reason. That… made them feel a little bit uneasy. “Hello…”

 

 

They answered, but some tears still rolled down their face, filling the room with the faint odor of ectoplasm again. Athela did her best to avoid them, but there were just too many.

 

Her SOUL got hit by a tear, and she felt a burning, painful sting on her arm. She hissed, unhappy about it, but didn’t comment anything on the matter. She wanted to cheer that sad ghost up.

 

  
“What’s your name?” She asked, with a slight smile. She was not supposed to know their name, and she didn’t want to look like a creep, so she pretended not to know it.

 

“My… my name? Oh… well, it’s… Napstablook…”

  
“Nice to meet you, Napstablook.” Athela’s smile widened.

 

 

She was being really nice; Napstablook didn’t know what to do. They lied on the leaves again.

 

 

“I’m not feeling up to it right now, sorry.” They said, holding their tears. Athela was grateful for that; now she would be able to think of what to do next.

 

  
She didn’t want to force Napstablook to do anything they didn’t want to do, or to rush them. They seemed to be extremely sensitive. What to do now?

 

She didn’t know.

 

She just smiled.

 

 

However, Napstablook seemed to feel better because of that. Sometimes, a smile is all that you need to make someone else feel better. A small tear of relief escaped their eyes, followed by a few more. But they were really small and easy to dodge.

 

Seems like they were feeling better.

 

Good. Very good.

 

 

But Athela was out of conversation topics.

 

She didn’t usually deal with anyone, so… she was not good at socializing. What to do, what to do…

 

Oh, well… Napstablook was also a monster, weren’t they? Maybe she could win them over with a trick. Her mother usually liked them.

 

 

“Hey, look at what I can do.” She smiled and started making her eyes glow. Napstablook looked, interested. Athela was concentrating as much blue light as possible… it was tiring. She didn’t cast magic often, but… it was worth a shot.

 

  
After a few seconds, a bone appeared on her hand. She looked proud.

 

  
“Look! A bone!” She showed it to them, with a really pleased smile. Napstablook couldn’t help but to smile a little bit, too. Her enthusiasm was contagious. And now he also wanted to do something.

 

“Let me try…” They started crying again. The amount of tears was huge this time, so Athela felt a little bit intimidated. But this time, the tears were not flowing her direction; instead, they were going up, condensating on the ghost’s head. Seems like they were forming… a hat? “I call it ‘dapper blook’. Do you like it...”

 

They looked at the skeleton, eagerly awaiting her response.

 

  
Athela’s eyes were sparkling.

 

 

“That’s so cool! I love it!” She said, really impressed. Then again, anything that had to do with magic impressed her. Because she could barely summon a single bone without tiring herself. But really, the hat was actually cute. Napstablook seemed overwhelmed by that display of honesty and happiness.

 

“Oh no…” They shed a single tear, and immediately after Athela’s SOUL went back into her body.

 

Seems like it was over.

 

Athela felt like she had made great progress.

 

 

“I usually come to the RUINS because there’s nobody around… but today I met somebody nice…” The ghost seemed to be talking to themselves. Athela felt a bit flattered by that; she was “nice”. Yay. There was a small pause, but then Napstablook continued talking. “Oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way.”

 

  
Then, they started fading out, as if they were a PowerPoint slide. The teen was a little bit sad to see them go now, but also happy because she wouldn’t have to fight anymore.

 

She whispered good bye, and then stood silent in place for a while. Waiting.

 

 

She didn’t dare to turn back… but she also didn’t want to run away. She knew he would appear, eventually. Like last time.

 

  
She was right.

 

 

“Lame.” The flower’s voice send chills down her spine. Athela gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her fear. She didn’t even turn around to look at him. She didn’t dare to. Flowey continued. “Well, it was quite entertaining to see your pathetic attempts at **friendship**. But it doesn’t seem like you understand.”

 

“…” Athela waited.

 

“If you have that much time to dodge and say nice things, couldn’t you, you know, do something useful for yourself?” He snickered. “All these monsters will keep trying to hurt you, you know? No matter what you do or say. So why make friends? Why not do something else?”

 

It was then when Athela turned around, a confused frown on her face.

 

  
“W-what do you mean?” If Flowey had wanted to harm her, he would have done so already. Instead, it seemed like he wanted to say something. But the smile in his face didn’t look good.

 

“Well…” A little wink. “You’re weak. Very weak. You die after a few attacks. Is that okay with you?” He looked at her, waiting for an answer. Athela didn’t like his smug smile.

 

“It’s not like I can do anything about it.” She whispered.

                                                       

“Oh, but you can!” Flowey’s smile turned more cheerful. He looked like an enthusiastic little kid now. Athela couldn’t believe that.

 

“I… I can?” It was probably a trap, but she didn’t have anything to lose by asking, did she?

 

“Yes!” The flower nodded and pointed at the confused skeleton. “Look at your HP.”

 

 

Athela did so.

 

 

12/20

 

  
“Pathetic, right?” Flowey mocked her. “Now look at your LV.”  
  
“It’s…” She quickly checked her stats. “One. Right?”

 

“Well done, Sherlock.” Athela frowned again, confused at that. Her name wasn’t… oh, well, he was probably mocking her again. She decided not to pay too much attention to that.

 

“So what?” She said, looking at the nearest wall. The conversation was getting too long… she was starting to feel uncomfortable. And uneasy.

 

“You have that puny amount of HP because your LV is low. If you just had more… you would get stronger. Easy, right? No more deaths by falling down a tiny hole! No more suffering for attacks that are literally pitiful! Doesn’t that sound nice?” Another wink. Flowey seemed to be enjoying his speech. Athela was not.

 

 

Did that mean he would kill her again? No, wait, that made no logical sense. There surely was something more to the nonsense he was speaking.

 

She dared to ask.

 

 

“And how do I get stronger…?” She had a bad feeling about it.

 

“Oh, that’s easy, pal!” Flowey squinted his eyes and looked at her with an even wider smile. The girl felt uneasy. “You know those bothersome monsters that have been killing you all the time?” Athela nodded, slowly. Flowey’s face shaped into a darker, scary face that made her take a step back. “You just have to… **KILL THEM!** ”

 

 

Athela’s eyes greatly widened, and she backed away, horrified.

 

  
“W-what?? I would… I would never…” She shook her head strongly, gripping her shirt. No, that was wrong.  She would never do something like that. She couldn’t even hurt a fly.

 

“Really? Never? Even if it meant you could survive and get out of this place?”

 

 

She stopped in her tracks. Flowey kept talking.

 

 

“What have those fools done for you, huh? Aside from, you know, making you die, suffer, cry and all that painful stuff. You don’t owe them anything. You could use them to get stronger!”

 

“S-stop. What are you trying to do? I won’t do that!” She kept shaking her head, still shocked. How could she not be? “I’m not like you!”

 

  
Flowey’s face turned serious, and Athela immediately knew she messed up. She shouldn’t have said that.

 

There was a long silence. Too long. The poor skeleton felt so uncomfortable. Was he mad at her? She had been really rude, but… it was the plain truth! Flowey liked to kill people, or at least he liked to kill her. That was a fact. She never lied.

 

“Hmm… maybe you just need it to sink in.” The flower was smiling once again. He didn’t look hurt, more like he seemed to be lost in thought. “At this rate, you will never get out of this place. But you won’t take the easy path… maybe you’re just stupid.”  
  
“W-what…?” More questions rose in Athela’s mind. What did Flowey mean with that? Was he serious? “Y-you’re lying!” She yelled. “Why would you try to help me now? You’ve only tried to kill me, why should I believe you??”

 

“Because it’s more interesting this way.”

 

 

What a simple answer. Athela lowered her head, trembling both of fear and rage. She was really angry at Flowey. For being such a psycho. For being a murderer. For even suggesting something as awful as to destroy someone else. For having such a simple reason to kill.

 

She didn’t know what to say to him.

 

 

How do you manage to make a psycho killer stop being the way they are?

 

She couldn’t do that.

 

 

“Well, you’ll soon see what I mean by all this.” Flowey nodded, leaving Athela even more confused. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed.” He smiled. “If you don’t want to kill… don’t mind me if I make you fall into the last category.”

 

 

He summoned some pellets, looking as happy as always. Athela’s fear increased as she felt her SOUL coming out of her body. She became frozen once again. Just like last time.

 

 

“P-please… don’t…” She begged, even if she knew it was useless.

 

“Don’t worry, this is just a friendly reminder of what you need to do… if you don’t want to end up dead again.”

 

 

A friendly wink.

 

A twisted smile.

 

And the already-familiar excruciating pain before the world faded away.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

She didn’t feel well.

 

  
She was staring at the sign on the wall, feeling despair once again.

 

 

_“There is just one switch.”_

 

 

Many things had happened since the last time Flowey had appeared to kill her after making friends with Napstablook.

 

First, she had tried to do the friendly thing again, but… she had rushed it. Athela was not a patient person, so she tried to make it quick. And Napstablook had felt as if they were a nuisance to her. So they cried a lot.

 

And as a result of that, she died.

 

 

So that added another stupid death to the counter… how many were they already? She didn’t know. She didn’t care.

 

 

The following time she was more careful. And once Napstablook left, fading away as last time, she ran for it. She would not take another deadly chance, no sir.

 

So she ran through the purple corridors, as fast as she could.

 

She passed a few Froggits who seemed to be chatting, and had to stop to take a phone call from Toriel. She was too nervous to really pay attention to what she said, but it was something about not picking too many items.

 

Who cares, she thought.

 

 

But she felt bad once Toriel hung up. She didn’t mean to ignore the goat monster, no. She loved Toriel so much. The goat lady had been the only kind soul that had never harmed her. Napstablook was also friendly if you got past all their tears, but that was not really related.

 

She felt like calling again, but… Flowey could still be nearby. In fact, she knew he was. So she needed to be fast.

 

 

But this puzzle.

 

 

There was nothing she could do about it.

 

 

“There is just one switch”, it said. And yes, the switch was probably somewhere, but…she needed to get down one of those many holes in the ground to get it.

 

And she would die if she did that.

 

Alas, that meant… she was completely, utterly stuck.

 

 

She wanted to cry of pure frustration. She had been trying so hard, and now this? What an awful place to live in… why were there so many puzzles?? She liked puzzles, but this was just too much. Also, why the spikes and the holes? They’re dangerous! Deadly, even!

 

 

Resigned, she let herself fall to the floor, with her back against the wall.

 

 

Everything was too harsh. She could feel that Flowey was laughing at her, somewhere. He was well hidden, she had never managed to see him.

 

Was what he said true…?

 

If she killed…

 

Would she get stronger if she killed someone?

 

 

No. No, no, no. She wouldn’t do that.

 

 

 

But maybe… maybe if she got stronger, she would have more HP… and with more HP, she would be able to fall down one of those holes…

 

…

 

No.

 

No way. She couldn’t do something like that. She wasn’t a bad person. True, she had her temper tantrums and she was kinda impatient, cowardly and egoistical every once in a while, but… killing someone was just…

 

 

…

 

 

Would it be self-defense if she…?

 

 

…

 

 

Her eye sockets started getting teary. She covered them with her hands, sobbing, and let out a sad whine.

 

She just couldn’t do that. Flowey was just trying to play with her, it wasn’t fair. That was just not right. She didn’t want to do it, there had to be another option.

 

She had been despaired for far too long… she just wanted to get back home. Even Toriel’s house would do now, she just wanted to get out. She didn’t want to kill anyone to survive, she didn’t… she wasn’t able to do it.

 

 

The room was soon filled with miserable sobs.

 

 

Maybe she could just call Toriel. That seemed way better than killing someone.

 

But that was not the point.

 

What would happen when Toriel left her, when no one could help her anymore? What would Athela do then? Would she ever… do it? Even if it was just once?

 

 

The idea terrified her.

 

 

She was trembling. Her head was spinning, she felt dizzy. It was awful.

 

 

“Oh…it’s you.” A voice made her snap out of her breakdown. The skeleton moved her hair out of her face to see who was there. It wasn’t Flowey…

 

 

It was Napstablook.

 

  
Well, more or less. It was half Napstablook. Just the head, the rest of their ghost body was under the floor, so she couldn’t see it.

 

 

“N-Napstablook? What are you doing here?” She asked, not even bothering in wiping out her tears. She was in front of a professional weeper, there was no shame.

 

“I fell down a hole… and I couldn’t get up…” The ghost started. “But then I heard someone crying, and it sounded like you, so… I remembered ghosts can fly, and… oh, no, I’m rambling again… oh… am I bothering you?”

 

“N-no! Not at all!” Athela saw the solution to her problems right in front of her eyes, and couldn’t help but feel hope again. Maybe she could convince the ghost to press the switch for her! “Please, don’t go. Hear me out.”

 

“Oh… okay…” Napstablook looked a bit uncomfortable. People usually didn’t ask them things. But since Athela was a nice person, they were more or less sure she would not ask for anything bad.

 

“You see, I… I need to get past those spikes.” She said, pointing at the pointy harbingers of doom. “But I can’t press the switch. Could you please do it for me?”

 

 

Athela was pleading.  
  
She really hoped it would work.

 

 

Napstablook seemed doubtful, and the poor skeleton was getting more and more nervous… but she sighed of pure relief when the ghost nodded.

 

 

“Okay… you were nice to me, so now… I’ll return the favor.” Athela was smiling like crazy now.

 

“Thank you!!”

 

“Wait here…” Soon after saying that, they disappeared.

 

 

Athela couldn’t begin to describe how happy she was. Napstablook was helping her! She would’ve been stuck if she hadn’t tried to make friends with them!

 

If she had killed Napstablook, they couldn’t have helped with the puzzle. And she would’ve been stuck. Yes, making friends was the answer! Not killing!

 

Wait, could ghosts die…?

 

…

 

That didn’t matter now.

 

 

What mattered was that Flowey was wrong. Killing was not the answer, and Athela was determined to make him see that. She didn’t know how, but… eventually, she would. Somehow.

 

 

Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound, and then she saw the spikes lower.

 

 

It was done.

 

 

Athela got up, happy again. There was still a dreadful feeling she couldn’t completely shake off, but at least she didn’t feel like crying again.

 

The skeleton walked a bit, not really wanting to leave because she wanted to thank Napstablook again. She made a mental oath; she would never be afraid of ghosts again. Ghosts were now friends forever.

 

  
“I did it…” Napstablook emerged and looked for Athela, who was resisting the temptation of hugging the ghost out of pure happiness. Personal space, Athela. Personal space.

 

“Thanks a lot! You saved my life!” Literally. They did, in a way.

 

“Oh no…” Napstablook was nervous again. That girl was so cheerful. They felt embarrassed. “I don’t want to get in the way of your walk, so… I’ll go away…”

 

 

And before she could say anything, they started disappearing.

 

Aww, what a shame. Athela wanted to talk a bit more. Maybe even ask them to join her, since she would feel better going with someone. Oh well... They didn’t look like someone who feels comfortable among people.

 

If she wanted to be friends with them, it would take a little bit more time.

 

 

That was okay, maybe one day…

 

 

 

She started walking.

 

Next room also had a sign, so she went to read it. It could come in handy.

 

  
“The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective.”

 

 

There were three different switches on that room. Athela looked at them, suspicious…

 

Nope.

 

She would not take the risk.

 

 

She started walking out of that room, back to the previous one. And then the previous one. She didn’t like to go back all the way, because she could encounter more monsters, or Flowey could suddenly appear and say “howdy”, but she had to. Just in case.

 

The Ruins had been filled to the brim with traps so far. What if she pressed the wrong switch and the floor gave in or something? She would die and then she would have to get through all that again. And she was NOT going to do that.

 

 

So she went back to the mouse hole room, and touched the save point.

 

 

Once she did that, she had to close her eyes. It felt nice for a moment, but then the dizzying sensation came back, and she felt as if something was trying to push its way out of her head. A slight push, but it made her incredibly uneasy.

 

There was something inside. There had to be something. That was not normal.

 

  
The pressure faded away almost immediately. But she didn’t feel better. She led a hand to her head and started to slowly feel her hair, trying to find something. Maybe it was outside.

 

  
But there was nothing.

 

 

She opened her eyes and was not surprised to see everything blurry. It happened a lot lately. She didn’t know why, either. The skeleton made her eyes glow again to make the blurry vision go away, and it worked. She just needed a little bit of magic to solve it, so she didn’t worry too much about it, but…

 

She sighed, frustrated because there was no way to know what was going on. Maybe Flowey knew, but she didn’t want to see him again if she could avoid it. Perhaps she could ask Toriel later. She had to be closer to her house.

 

That thought filled her with a good feeling.

 

 

She found the resolution to keep going.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

As she expected, next room had the trap she was thinking of.

 

She just had to press the right colored switch, but she missed one, once, and pressed the wrong one. A stupid mistake, yes. But it happened just as she thought it would; the floor gave in and she fell to her death.

 

Good thing she had saved.

 

 

Good thing, because she also encountered a weird-looking monster with one eye that seemed to be in a really bad mood. She tried running away, but he looked offended when she did that, and shoot some weird kind of plump bullets at her. So she also died because of that.

 

It wasn’t hard to make that monster go away, though. He just wanted her to say she would not pick on him. Weird. Why would she want to do something like that?

 

But that seemed to make him happy. So happy, he even gave her some coins after their encounter. So generous. She didn’t have anything to use them on, but she still appreciated that.

 

 

They both parted ways and she kept going, until she hit the last switch. The puzzle was over!

 

She had the feeling that she was close to the end of her journey when she saw some green vines creeping on the ground, forming some kind of mat. It wasn’t a sign yelling “you’re done”, but it still gave her the feeling. The young skeleton went through it, careful not to trip, and then looked at what she had ahead.

 

There were two paths, one up and one forward. She immediately decided to go up, because there were red leaves on the floor… and that made it look different. Maybe Toriel’s house was up there. She held onto that hope and crossed what she hoped it would be the final door.

 

 

She found an enormous room, and a very big tree immediately caught her attention. The tree was black, and had no leaves on its branches. Instead, they were all on the floor, piling up against its trunk. It was a beautiful sight to behold, yet the image made her feel kinda disheartened, for some reason.

 

She wanted to check it from a closer distance, so she started walking towards it, but she stopped right in her tracks when she heard a familiar voice.

 

 

“Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would.”

 

 

There she was.

 

Athela smiled when she saw Toriel from afar, walking in her direction. She didn’t seem to see the skeleton, and she stopped midway to take out her phone and dial. Athela’s phone started ringing right after, and that attracted the goat lady’s attention.

 

When she saw her, she immediately ran to her side.

 

 

“Athela! You finally got here! I was getting worried…are you hurt?” Toriel quickly checked Athela’s HP and found out that yes, they were not full. She frowned, concerned. “There, there, I will heal you.”

 

 

And so she did.

 

Athela immediately felt better... but just for a second, for the pressure immediately came back, forcing her to close her eyes again. That didn’t feel good at all. Toriel got even more worried when she saw her expression.

 

“Are you okay?” She asked, her face full of uneasiness. She was about to check her again, but Athela shook her head.

 

“I’m fine. And happy to see you. This felt like forever…” She sighed, legitimately smiling. Her weird problem didn’t really matter now. She was safe.

 

“I should not have left you alone for so long.” Toriel also shook her head, feeling guilty about her actions. “I should’ve gone back to you once I finished gathering my books… it was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this.”

 

“Surprise me?” Athela raised an eyebrow, not really understanding what Toriel was talking about. Immediately after, the goat lady looked flustered.

 

“Err… Well…” Then she smiled in a gentle way. “I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, young one.”

 

  
She then started walking, back to the direction which she came from. Athela followed, and was pleased to see an enormous house, made of the same purple stone that was all over the ruins. Right next to the walls, more red leaves rested, giving the building a much more cheerful look. She liked it. She was finally there, she finally arrived.

 

  
She did it.

 

 

She felt so proud.

 

 

There was a save point atop the leaves. She needed to save immediately; she walked to it and resisted the unpleasant feeling that came with it. It was nothing, she was happy and a save point was not going to stop her.

 

Finally… she would get some answers, and she could finally talk to Toriel. She felt so tired… but she had to stay resolute, and it was not difficult right now. Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins… it helped her keep her perseverance high.

 

 

She sighed and entered the building with a smile.

 

 

 

**Athela - LV 1**   
**Ruins – Home**   
**Nº Resets: 24**


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^
> 
>  
> 
> Attention! 
> 
> From this point further, Undertale headcanons will kick in!

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 8 – A familiar story**

 

 

 

Toriel’s house looked larger on the inside, to Athela’s surprise. She saw that once she set foot into the big hall; with its cream-colored walls, and its wooden floor… the house looked really nice. She spotted some stairs at the end of the room, but Toriel’s voice caught her attention almost immediately and made her forget about them.

 

“Do you smell that?” The monster asked, and Athela sniffed, trying to identify the odor in the air. It was sweet, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was. She looked at Toriel with a clueless look that made her smile. “Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie.”

 

  
Big gasp.

 

A pie?? Just for her?? The skeleton smiled widely, excited and thankful. She had felt so at-ease once she stepped in the house… and now, she even had pie. Toriel was a really kind person.

 

“Thank you.” Athela felt really moved, she needed a moment to let the feels sink in. She was still smiling like crazy. Toriel chuckled.

 

“I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time staying here, so… I will hold off on snail pie for tonight.” The old lady seemed happy to see Athela happy. She was smiling widely, too.

 

“Snail pie…?” Athela had never tried snails. She didn’t know snails were sweet. Poor Athela didn’t know pies didn’t need to be sweet to be pies. She would find out… someday. Not that day, but someday.

 

“Here, I have another surprise for you.” Toriel nodded and started walking towards the corridor on the right side, looking at her as if she was telling the skeleton to follow her lead. She smiled and did so with enthusiasm. She liked surprises.

 

  
It was a long corridor. Yellow like a lemon flan, and not as narrow as the ones in Athela’s home. It was indeed a big house. Athela liked the carpet, it had funny shapes. She was also able to see a few potted plants, and several flowers. She smiled again. Such a nice house.

 

They both walked for a short time; Toriel was only leading her to the first door to the left.

 

 

“This is it…” She said, looking at her gently. “A room of your own. I hope you like it!” The old lady brought a hand to Athela’s hair and pat it softly. Athela didn’t quite know what to say.

 

“A room? J-just for me?” She clasped her shirt, feeling another smile coming right up.

 

“Well… I know you must be missing your house, and your family… but it’s been a long day for you, am I right, Athela?” Toriel started explaining, with an apprehensive smile. “I think you should sleep here for today. We also need to discuss some things, so… I hope you feel comfortable here.”

 

“So you’re letting me stay?” Unbelievable. Who would’ve thought that a total stranger could save her, be nice to her, bake her a pie and let her stay at her house, and all in the same day? It was too good to be true, but… there she was. In front of her own room. She was so thankful, but she couldn’t quite express it with words.

 

“Of course, my child.” Toriel caressed her hair again. Athela liked it when she did that. Such a gentle touch… it reminded her of her mother. Gosh, she missed her… “I’ll be glad to let you stay as long as you like. It must be hard for you, so… erm… … Is something burning…?” The goat lady sniffed, now looking quite nervous. Her suspicions were confirmed; indeed, it did smell like something was burning. Athela nodded, and Toriel then started running the other way, looking worried. “Um, make yourself at home!”

 

 

Well, she left.

 

Athela was left alone in the hallway. The teen wondered if it was the pie what was burning. She hope it wasn’t… she wanted some. It would be a shame if it burned and became inedible.

 

But she would leave that to Toriel. Leaving that aside… she felt the mighty need to examine her new room, so she opened the door and peeked inside.

 

  
The room was big. At least, bigger than her real room. The floor was white, and the walls were a nice shade of red. There were many things in there that looked worthy of a look, so she entered the chamber, thrilled. She liked it.

 

The comfy-looking bed caught her attention first. She felt exhausted, but she didn’t want to go to sleep yet; her curiosity would not let her. Instead, she looked at the plushies that were next to the bed, leaning against the wall. How cute! She wanted to hug them… maybe later. She would take a look at the small table that was at the foot of her bed instead.

 

 

It was packed with many different books! They didn’t really interest her. The covers didn’t look exciting enough; there were books about snails, bugs… Of course, she liked reading, she liked it a lot, but… she preferred TV or her Miintendo. But since she had none of that, she would read them all if she had the time. Toriel had left them there for her, so it was the least she could do.

 

  
Next, she examined the closet. It was packed with striped shirts… and they were too small to fit her. How strange. She wasn’t a kid anymore, why the striped shirts? Maybe Toriel had sheltered other kids before her? That would explain a few things. Maybe she liked to take care of people, since she had such a kind heart.

 

She didn’t know how long she would be staying there with Toriel, but for now her pajamas would have to do. She couldn’t find any clothes her size, so she moved onto the next thing.

 

There was a big desk next to the wardrobe, but it was empty. It only had an empty photo frame lying on top of it. It was dusty… but that didn’t catch her interest. What did, in its place, was the box to its left. It was filled with kids’ shoes… in a wide variety of sizes.

 

The theory that Toriel used to take care of children grew stronger. That’s the first thing that came to Athela’s mind, since the house seemed to be empty, but she could also have children of her own.

  
Maybe they were not there at the moment. Or maybe they grew up and left the house and Toriel had never changed their room because she was sentimental about it… just like her own mother. She liked to save everything the young skeleton had used in her life, for some reason she didn’t understand. Maybe Toriel was also like that.

 

 

Perhaps she would ask later, if she remembered.

 

  
Well, going back to the original topic… she couldn’t use any of the shoes either, they were too small. So she just left them there and stared at the floor lamp that rested at the corner of the room. It had a little cord… she pulled it.

 

 

The lights went out.

 

She smiled and pulled again.

 

The lights turned on.

 

  
Athela giggled and pulled once more.

 

  
On. Off. On. Off. On. Off.

 

  
Oops, she was having too much fun. She stopped after a while, leaving the lights on, as they were in the beginning. She ought to get going, though. Maybe Toriel had saved the pie… she wanted some pie.

 

She exited the room and looked at the long corridor. There were more rooms over there, but the pie’s pull was stronger. She would examine those later. Athela nodded and started walking towards the main hall. She glanced briefly over the stairs, but surely the kitchen was not there. She preferred to avoid stairs, anyway. She would look elsewhere.

 

It wasn’t long until she arrived to what looked like the living room. It was also a huge room, and she would’ve taken her time examining every little inch of it, but excluding the table with an enormous amount of books on top of it, something else drew her attention.  
 

There she was, Toriel was sitting in a huge armchair. It was huge, but it looked like it was the perfect size for Toriel. She was busy reading a book… and she was wearing glasses. Athela liked the glasses, they looked great on her.

 

“Hi.” Athela greeted the goat lady with a smile. Toriel smiled back.

  
“Hello there, Athela!” The old woman looked rather cheery. “I saved the pie.” She said. The skeleton smiled.

 

“Great! Can I have some?” She was hungry and impatient. Toriel laughed softly at her enthusiasm. It was really cute.

 

“Sadly, the pie has not cooled down yet.” She said, still smiling. “Perhaps you should take a nap. You look rather tired.”

 

“Oh…” The idea was quite attractive to Athela… maybe that would be for the best, because she was truly tired. Too many emotions for a day. And the pie was not ready to eat yet, so she might as well just follow Toriel’s advice. “Okay. Then I’ll be back later.” She nodded.

 

“Sweet dreams.” Toriel’s quiet voice made Athela remember just how tired she was. The young skeleton waved goodbye to the elderly woman and started walking back to her room.

 

  
Of course she was tired… that day had been hell for her. Maybe she had just been awake for a few hours since she woke up at that flower bed, but it felt like an eternity to the poor girl. Between resets, deaths, calls, enemies, traps… what a horrible experience. No offense to Toriel nor the nice peeps who lived there, like… Napstablook, maybe? But she didn’t like that place. Too dangerous.

 

Well, Toriel’s house had no traps whatsoever. She did like that. But that was it.

 

  
Still thinking about all that had happened, she arrived at her bedroom and went to the lamp, to turn the lights off. Then, she lied down on the bed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. Maybe it was because she had been avoiding thinking about how tired she was during her journey, and now she could actually feel her aching bones.

 

She closed her eyes, feeling not only tired, but pained. Yes, she wasn’t feeling so well… maybe she was sick? She felt weak, somehow. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

 

 

It didn’t matter… everything would be better once she woke up. She was sure of it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Some golden flowers.

 

A flash of colors and light.

 

A twisted smile.

 

Some words spoken in an unknown language.

 

 

  
Athela gasped and woke up, feeling confused and sick. Her eyes were looking at the ceiling, unable to focus their gaze. Everything was blurry; her head was dizzy, her bones were shaking… she didn’t feel good. Did she have a nightmare?

 

No, she couldn’t remember. She just recalled some flowers and… nothing more, really. How confusing… she didn’t feel anxious or scared. She was fine. However, she could feel that strange pressure in the back of her head… that wasn’t just in the back anymore. The sides of her skull also felt like something was there, pressing.

 

The skeleton rubbed her temples, trying to get rid of that annoying feeling… as usual, it faded away after a few seconds. Good thing she was lying down, it was easier to keep her cool that way.

 

But seriously, she felt bad. Physically bad. She didn’t know why… and she didn’t like it. Maybe she just had a bad night. Taking into account what she just went through, perhaps it wasn’t so strange that she could not sleep well. She sighed and made her eyes shine again, to clear her vision. It worked.

 

 

She wasn’t tired anymore, nor wanted to keep sleeping, so she might as well stand up.

 

 

Athela didn’t know how long she had been awake, but probably a few hours. She didn’t feel as exhausted anymore… just beaten. But not tired. The pie had surely cooled down already, so…

 

…

 

Oh.

 

 

Athela’s eyes started sparkling.

 

 

Was that… a slice of pie? On the floor?

 

 

That could only mean one thing… Toriel left it there! Smiling, she dashed to it and smelled it. The smell of cinnamon and… something else. So good. If she had a stomach, it would start rumbling any second now.

 

There was no fork… but that didn’t matter. It would not be the first time she ate pie with her bare hands. She grabbed it and took a bite.

 

 

“It’s amazing!” She squealed, happy. Such a great flavor… she wanted more. She took another bite and stood up, taking the plate with her. She should thank Toriel for the wonderful, sweet pie, but… she could do that once she finished it. She wanted to explore the house a bit, first.

 

  
Since she was going to stay there for a while anyway, there was nothing wrong with some harmless curiosity, right?

 

 

She walked out of the room, still munching on the pie, and looked at the end of the corridor. There were many things that caught her attention… like one of the many plants that were resting there, in its cute pot. There was a specific type of plant that she had seen before… she could not remember their real name, but could remember that her mother called them “water sausages”.

 

Athela poked the water sausage, along with many other things she found around the place. She opened a drawer, just to see some flower seeds and broken crayons. Nothing interesting. She wasn’t very good at drawing things.

 

 

There was also a mirror at the end of the corridor. She looked at her image and smiled. Finally, a mirror. Her hair was not gonna get styled properly without one. She brushed it lightly with her own hands, humming dimly. She felt as if she was forgetting to do something, but couldn’t quite remember what. Oops. Well, it didn’t matter. There was nothing suspicious about her appearance anyway.

 

All she could see in the mirror was herself! Her hair was as fabulous as usual.

 

  
There wasn’t much more than that on the hallway for her to see. That’s why the next step was to peek into the rooms. Unfortunately, one had a paper sign that read:

 

_“Room under renovations.”_

 

 

Athela pouted and tried to enter anyway, but the door was locked.

 

What a shame.

 

 

But there was still another room to examine… and the door was open. Athela saw a blue room… she liked blue. She smiled. Could that be Toriel’s room?

 

There was a big, big bed at a corner. It was definitely bigger than her mother’s bed, and she had a twin-sized bed. But it was okay, because Toriel was definitely bigger than a twin-sized human. If that made any sense.

 

Even before entering, she had a slight feeling that was trying to tell her not to spy in someone else’s room. But… she did anyway. Why not? Toriel wasn’t there to say no, and… it would just be a quick peek. No problem.

 

  
It was a cute room. Toriel had weird things, like a giant green cactus with a cute little flower growing on it. And an old bucket full of snails. Looks like the goat lady really liked snails. Good for her. Athela felt the temptation to eat one… she couldn’t help but wonder how would they taste like. But she already had her pie. So she would not eat the snails. Not now. Maybe later.

 

There was also a big desk in the room. It had a fancy lamp, and some books. One of them was open, and she couldn’t help but look at the pages. A circled passage… It was almost screaming at her to read it.

 

 

“Why did the skeleton want a friend?” She said, out loud. “Because she was feeling **BONELY** …”

 

  
Athela went silent for a few seconds. She was frowning…

 

 

“I don’t get it.” She said, after thinking about it for a while. Was it an error? It should say lonely… maybe Toriel had written it wrong by mistake.

 

Uncertain, she swallowed her last piece of pie, left the plate on the table and grabbed the book to search through the pages, as she looked for more things to read. She found another random passage...

 

“What does a skeleton tile his roof with? **Shin** gles… ….” Such a random sentence. Her house’s roof wasn’t tiled with shingles. Why would Toriel say that? As she read more and more, a thought came to her mind. Was that book like… a compilation of her random thoughts? It seemed pointless… “No, I don’t get it.” She said, smiling as she closed the book and put it back in its place. It was kind of meaningless, but rather cute. It was the first time she saw someone keeping a diary filled with strange sentences and random, inaccurate thoughts.

 

 

Then again, it wasn’t as if she knew a lot of people.

 

 

There wasn’t much left to do in the room. She tested the bed, and saw it was as comfy as it looked like. She checked inside Toriel’s drawers and saw a bunch of socks… she examined them and thought they were pretty, then she closed the drawers again. What most caught her attention was the big bookshelf that was near the drawers.

 

It was filled to the brim with books of different genres. Gardening books, cooking books, love stories… She didn’t have the time or disposition to look through all of them, so she just picked a random book and opened it to a random page.

 

It was an encyclopedia of subterranean plants… it even had pictures! She enjoyed looking at those. Athela quickly went through the pages, admiring the aquatic flora. Then she saw a picture of one of the plants outside, and stopped. The water sausages! Interested, she read a bit of the information wrote on the page.

 

“Typha. A group of wetland flowering plants with brown, oblong seedpods. Known more commonly as water sausages.” She read out loud and smiled. So it was called Typha… She would remember that.

 

 

Nodding, she put the book back to its place. She had run out of things to check… and then conveniently remembered about Toriel and her explanations, so she left the room in a rush, forgetting the empty plate on Toriel’s desk.

 

The skeleton walked through the hallway, to the living room, poking a few Typha as she went by. She stopped at the main hall, anyway, to look at the stairs. Where could they lead to?

 

…

 

Athela took a few steps in their direction. It was as if something was telling her to go on…

 

But she stopped.

 

 

No, enough distractions. No going to new places. She wanted to go to Toriel. She took a long, last look at the staircase, and then turned around to leave for the living room. This time for real.

 

 

It was empty when she entered the room. The sofa was unoccupied, and that made her feel uneasy… where could she be?

 

Fortunately, the young skelly heard noises coming from the adjacent room, so she soon relaxed. Toriel must be there… washing the dishes? Athela was just taking a wild guess, she didn’t know what was in that room. It could also be the bathroom… but she was gonna bet it was the kitchen. Anyway, she would just wait for the old lady to come back to her. She could wait. After all, there was another large bookshelf on that room. She could entertain herself reading a bit until she came back.

 

 

Before getting to it, she couldn’t help but notice some tools at the corner of the room, next to the shelf. They looked like gardening tools… Their ends had been filed down to make them safer. Athela smiled tenderly, remembering how her mother used to do the same. Toriel really was a kind lady who worried about others, then. Like Athela’s own mother.

 

What a warm feeling…

 

 

Athela sighed, and barely had time to even look at the worn books before she heard a voice coming from the far door.

 

“Athela! Up already, I see?”  It was Toriel’s voice. The young skeleton turned her head to see the goat lady walk to her with a smile.

 

“Hi!” She was happy to see her, as always. Toriel approached her and sat back on her reading chair.

 

“Did you sleep well?” She asked. Athela shook her head in response, which made the old lady worried. “No? Was something the matter, young one?”

 

  
Athela shook her head again.

 

 

“I had a rough day, maybe I was just really tired.” She explained. Toriel seemed doubtful, but nodded after a short pause.

 

“Well, I’m glad to see you smiling now.” Athela nodded again as a thank you, and Toriel became kind of silent for a moment. She looked at Athela and then at the books she had on the table… then she looked at Athela again. “Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share.” She started talking. “I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot.”

 

“I like bugs.” Athela smiled at that. Bugs were usually harmless, she liked that. Bug-hunting looked like a fun activity. Toriel’s smile became wider when she heard that.

 

“I’ve also prepared a curriculum for your education.” She said, merrily. “This may come as a surprise to you… But I have always wanted to be a teacher.” Athela was slightly taken aback by that. A curriculum? What? Sounded like she had planned more than the skeleton had expected. “…Actually, perhaps that isn’t very surprising.” Toriel looked troubled.

 

“Eh…” Athela tried to interrupt, but the monster’s face became sterner for a second.

 

“STILL.” She grunted, but soon regained her soft smile. “I am glad to have you living here.”

 

“Living? But…” That sounded wrong, somehow. Athela didn’t want to LIVE there. Yeah, Toriel was nice and she was taking good care of her, but… she wanted to go back to her dear mother. Surely she was so worried about her…

 

“Oh, did you want something? What is it?” Toriel looked nervous. She was probably expecting Athela to agree with her and just stay… but…

 

“Toriel, I don’t… I…” Athela didn’t seem to find the right words. “When… when can I go home?” She finally asked. She felt bad doing it, for some reason. Toriel looked really happy to have someone with her, and she had been nothing but kind to her. Still… she needed to go back home.

 

 

Toriel sighed. Her eyes were sad now.

 

 

“You wish to know how to return ‘home’, do you not?” She said in a gloomy voice. She really looked sad… Athela felt worse now.

 

“Well, I… my mother is waiting for me, and… I’m sorry.” Athela looked at the tiled floor, remorseful.

 

“Your mother…” Toriel sighed again. “I’m sorry, young lady. You’re right. It would be irresponsible on my behalf to make you stay here. I’m sure you have people who worry about you… that’s why I must help you in any way I can.”

 

“Thank you.” Athela nodded. She was not smiling.

 

“Well, we needed to talk about this anyway. Come sit near the fire, Athela. This is kind of a long story…”

 

 

Athela obeyed and approached Toriel’s chair. The fire next to her wasn’t burning hot… just pleasantly warm. Athela looked at it, surprised.

 

It was the first time she actually felt fire’s warmth. How could that even be? According to her mother, she couldn’t feel hot or cold because she had no skin, as a skeleton. So… why? Maybe that fire was magical and that’s why she could feel it? Just like the save points…

 

 

It was a nice sensation… she thought she could put her hand inside the fire. But that was probably not a good idea.

 

 

She had a story to listen to, anyway. She looked at Toriel, eagerly.

 

 

“So...” The old lady started. “First, I’ll have to ask some things about yourself, if you don’t mind, Athela.” She waited for a response; Athela nodded. “First… you said you came from the surface. Is that true?”

 

“Yes.” Athela nodded. “I live with my mother in a forest, near the mountain. This mountain.” She took a moment to think. “We’re always alone, so I haven’t gone anywhere else… but I don’t mind. I just want to go back with my mum. She must be so worried…”

 

“I understand.” Yes, Toriel did understand… the feeling of losing a child. She needed to help them, both child and mother. But… it was going to be really complicated. Maybe even impossible? “May I ask… why did you come here? Can you tell me that?”

 

  
It was better to start slowly.

 

 

“Well… I…” Athela felt bad, saying it. “I ran away from home. N-not exactly like that! I know it sounds bad, but… I just…” Remorse. The skeleton grabbed her arm and looked away. “I wanted to find monsters like me… and my mother wouldn’t let me.”

 

 

Toriel was silent, comfortably sitting in her chair, listening to the skeleton talk. So she ran away to meet more people like her… she should’ve felt lonely.

 

“And you came to Mt. Ebott because your mother taught you the legend.” The old monster guessed right. Athela looked at her and smiled glumly. “Did she tell you about the war too, my child?”

 

“She did. Not much, though… dad knew more about that, and… he died when I was five.”

 

  
Toriel was moved by her words. She drove a hand to Athela’s hair and pet it softly, trying to comfort her. Poor child.

 

 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She murmured. Athela shook her head, smiling a little.

 

“It’s okay, I can barely remember him anymore.” The young girl made a pause… and then looked at Toriel, expectant. “Could you tell me about the war? I want to know more…”

 

“Of course, young one.” Toriel smiled softly and pet Athela once more before leaning on the back of her chair, readying herself to tell, once again, that old story. “It all started long, long ago… two races ruled the Earth: humans and monsters.”

 

 

Athela lied down on the floor, on her ribcage, to make herself comfortable. It looked like it was gonna be a long story. She looked so eager… Toriel smiled again, happy to have such a curious audience.

 

She continued her story.

 

 

“We lived peacefully, back then. Humans lived in their villages, and we lived in ours. We interacted, sometimes. It was nice to know more about each other.”

 

“Wait.” Athela interrupted. “You talk as if you lived it yourself.”

 

“I have.” Toriel chuckled once she saw Athela’s bewildered expression.

 

“What?? How long ago was that??”

 

“Oh, just a couple thousand years.” Toriel talked like it was nothing… Athela, however, had to take hold of her jaw so it didn’t drop to the floor. Wow. That was… a lot.

 

“But that means you’re… really old! That’s amazing!” The young lady was legitimately impressed.

 

“It’s not that impressive. Some monsters can live for a long time.” Toriel ignored the fact that the skeleton girl just called her old, and kept going with her story. “However, going back to the legend… As I was saying. We lived peacefully on the surface, interacting and knowing more about each other. Nonetheless… sometimes, knowledge leads to awful things, my child. Humans started to grow wary of us.”

 

“What happened?” Athela was caught up on the story.

 

“Well, unlike monsters… when a human dies…” Toriel went on, frowning slightly. “… Their SOUL keeps on existing. It lasts… outside of their body. And we discovered… monsters could absorb their SOUL, gaining an incredible amount of power by doing so.”

 

 

Athela kept thinking about her own SOUL. Was that what Flowey wanted? Her SOUL?

 

No, because she didn’t have a human SOUL. And she didn’t know what could happen when a monster absorbed another monster’s SOUL. She would wait for Toriel to finish explaining.

 

 

“This could not happen the other way around, though. When a monster dies, it turns to dust.” Toriel felt a bit guilty about saying that to a girl who just told her about her deceased father, but there was nothing she could do about it. “A monster SOUL can’t be taken, as it disappears with its host. Monsters could take power from humans, but humans could not take power from monsters.”

 

“That’s why humans started being afraid of monsters, then.” Athela deduced. Toriel nodded, sadly.

 

“Humans are greatly stronger than us, so they had nothing to fear. But it was our ability to obtain that power what terrified them… that’s why they started the war.” There was grief in Toriel’s voice. She didn’t like to recall the war’s cruelty. “The humans attacked without warning… we couldn’t do anything against them. We lost countless of our kind. We had no other option but to surrender.”

 

“And then…?”

 

“Then... They sealed us here. Under this mountain.” Toriel took a deep breath. “It seems some of us managed to escape… and that’s why you come from the surface.” Toriel smiled, curious. “I wonder where your parents came from. Where they lived, how they lived.”

 

  
Athela smiled, too. She was sad about the story… it was tragic, that wars happened for such silly reasons. But she had to stay positive for Toriel. There was nothing they could do, so why be morose about it?

 

  
“Well, my dad lived in the forest, and my mom came from… somewhere else.” When she tried to think about it, Athela realized… she didn’t know where her mother was from. She never told her. “I just know she was with dad for a long time… and then they got married.”

  
“That’s touching.” The old monster paused, and stared at the fireplace. There was a moment of silence… before she asked. “Athela… what do you think of humans?”

 

“Humans?” The skeleton cocked her head to one side. “¿What do you mean?”

 

“Well, after what I told you… do you… hate them?” She asked. “I would understand if you did, but… I’d rather not hold a grudge against them. Not all humans are the same, after all. We should not judge an entire race by what some of them did, long ago.”

 

 

 

Athela nodded, energetically.

 

 

“Yes! You’re right! That would be unfair.” She said, smiling happily. “And anyway, my mom is really nice to me. I could never hate her! Never!”

 

“Your… mother, you say?” Toriel seemed confused by Athela’s words. “Why are you mentioning her right now?”

 

“Oh, because she’s a human.”

**Athela - LV 1**   
**Ruins – Home**   
**Nº Resets: 24**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 9 – A beautiful curse**

 

 

  
Toriel stared at the teenage skeleton with a bewildered expression on her face. It was as if she didn’t quite understand, or she refused to acknowledge that she did. The goat lady blinked a few times, shocked by the strange, unexpected news.

 

“My child… could you repeat that…?” The old monster asked, still confused. Her voice made Athela think twice about what she just said, and her happy smile was replaced by a worried frown.

 

Maybe she had said something she wasn’t supposed to say…?

 

“Eh... I’m sorry?” Athela didn’t know if Toriel liked the apparently unexpected news or not. In fact, now that the skeleton thought about it for a second time… maybe she didn’t.

 

Thinking back to the story the elder told her, monsters had been locked up for thousands of years, because of the humans. So… perhaps monster-human unions were not…

  
“No, no, don’t apologize.” Toriel shook her head. “You said your mother was… a human. A human takes care of you.”

“Yes.” Athela nodded, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. It looked like Toriel was processing Athela’s words.

“And your father… was a skeleton.” Athela nodded again. Toriel looked at the young monster in front of her, thoroughly examining every inch of her body. “And you affirm that she is your… biological mother?”

“She is! I even have her eyes and her hair! That’s enough to tell!” Athela pouted, feeling a bit angry. Why would Toriel doubt her? Maybe monster-human marriages were not common, but that was no reason to doubt what she was saying!

 

Toriel immediately felt bad for doubting her young guest. She looked offended…of course, what an indiscreet question. She seemed old enough to know who her real mother was. She was certainly telling the truth.

However, that fact was… strange. Not strange enough to be unbelievable, but still…

 

“I am sorry, Athela.” Toriel apologized right away, still feeling quite remorseful. “I did not mean to doubt you. It’s just that… it’s the first time I’ve seen a monster-human child.”

 

Athela frowned, still a little offended.

 

“Didn’t you say you are more than a thousand years old?” She mumbled. The goat lady nodded. “Haven’t you seen anything like it before?”

“Yes, I said so, but… humans and monsters were not that close. Not that I ever saw it... I can’t know everything.” She explained, serenely. “Humans would usually associate with other humans.”

“Hm…” Skeleton pouts.

“I apologize if I offended you.” Toriel looked a bit desperate for forgiveness. That child… she hoped she understood. “I guess it was a special case. I needed to confirm it.”

 

Athela looked at her guardian, less cranky. She finally gave in, of course. She couldn’t stay mad forever, much less Toriel, the monster who saved her life.

 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten angry.” The skeleton sighed. Sometimes she had the most childish temper tantrums. That was something she wanted to fix.

 

Toriel smiled, more relaxed now that the skeleton seemed to have forgiven her.

 

“Then everything is fine, right? Thank you for telling me.” She looked way more relaxed. “I wasn’t wrong when I said you were special, Athela.”

“W-well, I don’t think I am…” The young skeleton let out a surprised, shy laugh. The truth was that she never met anyone else besides her parents, so she by no means had anyone to compare herself with. Only her mother, of course. And she thought her mother was way better than she was. Always so bright, positive and kind. And really strong, in many ways. Athela only had one model to look up to, and it was a great model. That’s why she thought she wasn’t really special. Thus, Toriel’s words were unexpected.

“But you are! The offspring of a monster and a human’s love!” Toriel kept praising as her smile got bigger. She seemed to be touched by the entire situation. “I think it’s a magnificent sign, it shows we can get along after all. It gives me a little hope.” She let out a small laugh.

 

Athela nodded, contented; she agreed with her on that one.

 

So… hope, huh?

 

At least there was something useful about her existence, then.

 

Toriel continued talking, really interested in what Athela had to say now.

 

“So, young one. Would you mind telling me a bit more about your family?” She asked, smiling with glee. “Do you happen to know how your parents met?”

“Hmm… I don’t remember much, but my mom told me…” Athela tapped her chin with her fingers. “Oh, I told you a bit of this… mom met dad when she was a kid.” She recalled, and checked Toriel’s reaction. She was nodding. Good, then she could move on. She continued her talking. “Grandpa found her on the forest, lost. He couldn’t find anyone else and didn’t know where she lived, so he kept her. He couldn’t leave her alone in the forest, right?”

“Right… oh, maybe she got separated from her family?” Toriel made a sad frown.

“I don’t know, she didn’t tell me. I think she doesn’t remember.”

“What a tragedy… but it ended well, nonetheless.”

 

Athela nodded, smiling. Toriel was ready to make more questions.

 

“Did you get to meet your grandfather?” When Athela shook her head negatively, Toriel nodded, understanding. Better not go deeper into that, then. “Well… I suppose your parents wedded and then you were born. Does anyone else know about this? Another human, perhaps?”

“I… don’t think so. I never got any visits. We didn’t know any other monsters, either. Mom sometimes went to town, so I guess she has friends, but she always said I couldn’t go with her…” The skeleton sighed and looked at the fireplace, lost in thought. She understood why her mother did that, but it was a bit sad, not having any friends.

“Poor child. I understand your mother’s actions, though.” Toriel nodded, she was also sympathetic. “Most humans would not take well the presence of a monster among them, after so much time… but that means you grew up alone.”

 

Toriel looked so sad. Athela smiled so she felt better.

 

“It’s okay. Mom brought me lots of books and games so I could be distracted. And I have her, she’s my best friend.” Her smile became even more nostalgic when she said that; she wanted to go back home as soon as possible.

“Well, Athela. I will also be your friend, if that makes you happy.” Toriel was more than glad to be the skeleton’s friend; she was a really nice girl, and a good listener and storyteller.

 

 Athela’s eyes literally sparkled when she heard that.

 

“T-thank you so much!” She whispered, ecstatic. “I’ll try to be a great friend! I hope I don’t disappoint you, heh.” Poor Athela was a little nervous, she didn’t know what friends were supposed to be like.

 

Toriel laughed softly at that. What a cute young girl.

 

“I don’t think I have to worry about that.” She commented, happy to see Athela happy.

“You can ask me more things if you want to! I’ll be happy to answer!” Athela was happy and enthusiastic, like a small, white dog who just saw the biggest bone ever. She wanted to be as useful as she could to her new friend.

“Oh my, well, let me think…” Toriel tried not to giggle at her adorable keenness. “Well, let me ask about yourself.”

“What do you want to know about me, exactly?” There was so much to say about that matter… better specify, the skeleton thought.

  
Toriel took a few seconds to think about it.

  
“Hmm… I’m just curious… how different are you from a normal monster like myself?” She asked. “After all, you’re only half monster. I wonder if you can do magic, for example.”

“Oh, yes I can!” Athela nodded. She smiled awkwardly. “N-not much, though… I get tired easily each time I try, and… well, I can’t really do much. And mom liked it when I did it.”

“I guess your mother wasn’t the best possible teacher. Don’t worry if you’re not an expert.” Toriel said, smiling patiently. “What kind of magic can you cast?”

“I can make my eyes glow to see in the dark, I can summon small bones, and… when I was little, I could make objects fly sometimes.” Athela smiled, remembering how she used to do that to make her mother freak out over flying pillows. It was fun while she didn’t know who was doing that. Sadly, she realized soon enough. “But I can’t really control that one now. I guess I stopped using it at some point. I would need more practice. Oh, and… uh… do I have to show you?”

 

She didn’t really feel like doing magic, she wasn’t feeling fresh enough. She blamed the bad sleep time. Luckily, Toriel had other things in mind.

 

“It is not necessary. We can go over that later.” She said. The goat monster wanted Athela to feel at ease before making her do anything. And if using magic made her tired, she preferred to leave it for another time. Maybe the next day or so. Athela smiled, thankful. “Well, it doesn’t look like you’re much different from a regular monster, then.”

“Yeah…I am not that different, I guess.” Athela muttered, feeling a little bit disappointed with that fact. Monsters were cool, but humans were also cool! If she looked more like a human, maybe her life would’ve been very different. But instead, she was stuck in that frail boned body. She felt the need to point that last thing out, bitterly. “I’m just weaker.”

“What do you mean? You seem healthy.” Toriel examined the girl again, slightly surprised by that last remark.

 

She looked fine. She didn’t have many HP, but… … Wait. Why was she hurt? Did she hurt herself in any way while she slept or something? She frowned, worried.

 

“I just have frail bones.” Athela said before Toriel could think any further. “I get hurt easily. My dad wasn’t like this, and mom isn’t, either, so I guess it’s just me.” Once again, she felt bad about being a weak-bones.

“I see…” Oh, no. Now Toriel felt even worse about letting her go around the Ruins on her own. She seemed fine and she made it, but still… she couldn’t begin to think of the many problems she would have had back there. “So you had difficulties getting here…”

“A few.” A sour laugh and an ironic expression that Toriel didn’t manage to catch. “But I’m fine now.”

 

Athela didn’t know why, but… she did not feel like telling Toriel everything. Not the time-travelling part, at least. Maybe telling would be pointless. Maybe she would be forced to go back to her save point and… Toriel would forget everything. Like she forgot other things she said in other timelines. Just like Napstablook forgot, and… just like everyone else.

 

Was she alone? Would no one really understand the situation she was in?

  
Well, not exactly alone… Flowey seemed to remember everything. But the fact that a killer flower understood how she felt didn’t make her feel any better. If any, it was a really big problem, because she would never know what he was thinking.

 

She was doomed…

 

A sad feeling started surrounding her, clogging her mind. She felt like… everything was pointless, to some degree. And… what if she told her, but Toriel didn’t even understand what she was talking about? She didn’t even remember… were there any guarantees that she wouldn’t say it was just a product of her young imagination?

 

And she wouldn’t even blame the goat monster if she said that… it was so surreal, after all. Athela wouldn’t believe such a story herself.

 

Maybe telling that she was going back in time for each time she died… wasn’t even relevant. It just happened to her, and it would lose its meaning once the next reset came. How would that help her at all?

 Was it even something she could take advantage of?  Would telling everybody about it help her get out of that mountain? Maybe it wouldn’t… even if she could get to do such a thing in the first place.

 

Perhaps she would never make it out. Maybe there were no save points further on and she would, after many resets, be forced to stay down here forever. Or maybe her power to go back in time would vanish out of nowhere and she would die for real… or maybe… she would, somehow, be forced into an endless time loop at some point because errors happen and she would stay in a black void forever, or… or…

 

Or…

 

…

 

She was starting to get scared by her own broad imagination…the urgent need to save her progress hit her like a hammer. She felt the impulse to go back and see if the light was still there. Because… what if it wasn’t??

 

It probably still was, but… but…

 

“My child?” It seemed as if Toriel had been talking to her for a while, now. But she hadn’t heard anything; her own distressed thoughts had blocked it all. Even now, she just felt her chest go tighter, and soon she couldn’t really breathe properly. That’s just how nervous she was.

“I… I need to do something…” Athela interrupted her conversation and sloppily tried to get up.

 

Where was the save point?

 

“Athela? Are you all right?” Toriel asked, worried by the look on Athela’s eyes. She looked… scared out of her wits, to say it softly. Lost, even. Like a puppy in the rain.

“Yes, yes, I just need some fresh air.” She answered vaguely while she walked to the door. It was true that she felt a little bit congested… Toriel, of course, was concerned about the girl’s well-being, so she followed her to the garden.

 

There, the goat lady saw Athela look at the air and do some sort of strange ritual. She lifted her hands into the air, by her hip level… and pushed them forward, as if she were to touch some kind of… invisible object?

How strange…

Was that something youngsters did nowadays?

 

“Athela!” Toriel ran to the young skeleton when she saw her stumble backwards. She grabbed her by the shoulders, carefully. She had almost slipped on a leaf. And she looked dizzy. “Are you alright? What happened? What did you just do?”

 

Athela sighed. She looked way more relaxed now. Less stressed.

 

“I just… never mind. I think I’m a bit sick.” Athela answered, vaguely.

 

The girl noticed that Toriel didn’t know what she just did. That meant she didn’t understand. That rose more questions… but she wasn’t going to ask. What purpose would that serve, anyway? Toriel didn’t know about the save points, in fact, it didn’t look like she could see them at all. Athela wasn’t going to make her worry by telling her some theory she wasn’t even sure about.

Better lie about it, hide it to make her feel better, like that time she almost fell off a cliff but she never told her mother about it. If she pretended that everything was fine… then…

 

“Are you sure?” Toriel didn’t know what was happening, but she KNEW something was definitely wrong.

“Yes.” Athela nodded and smiled. Everything was fine… it was… fine…

 

Toriel sighed, and hugged her tightly. Athela didn’t expect that, so she was shocked for a second, but immediately hugged back. Hugs were nice, and Toriel was warm and cozy. She liked that feeling.

 

She didn’t want to let go.

  
“Do you want to go back inside?” The old lady pat the skeleton’s head, deciding that it was better to leave Athela be. There were more important things to take care of.

“Yes, please. You still have to tell me many things.” Athela nodded. She didn’t want to let go of the hug… but she had to, a few seconds later.

 

She smiled and went back inside, holding Toriel’s hand.

 

* * *

 

  
Three days had passed since then.

 

Athela had learnt many things while being in Toriel’s house. She had learnt a lot about her own kind. About monster history, about monster traditions…

She had learnt, for example, that all monsters turned to dust upon death, and that monster funerals were extremely cool. They spread that dust onto the things the person liked, and then… their essence would live on that thing. What a nice feeling.

Her dad’s dust was in a jar, at home. Maybe, when she got back, she would spread it on the forest. On a really big, nice oak tree? That would be nice. He surely would’ve liked that.

 

And, on second hand, she had also learnt how to make pie. Snail pie. Snails were kinda not-so-sweet, as she first thought they were… but that was okay. They were not gross. Salty pie was still weird… but Toriel was happy with her cooking skills.

 

Speaking of Toriel… Athela had spent her first two days at ease, learning about the barrier and about monsters, but… she could not stay there forever. And she never found the right moment to tell Toriel directly that she wanted to leave, because the goat lady kept changing topics and proposing new activities to do together… but Athela knew why. She understood.

 

Toriel had once told her that the barrier the humans made was impassable. For an individual to go through it, they would need both a monster SOUL and a human SOUL.

That meant there was almost no chance of her getting out by yourself. Not soon, at least.

 

Because, on the other hand… the barrier could be destroyed. But only with the power of seven human SOULS. Athela wanted to ask more about that matter, but Toriel refused to go deeper into detail for some reason. She seemed to dislike that topic… Athela couldn’t tell exactly why.

Whichever reason she had to not speak about the barrier, she had made clear that it would be really difficult for her to get out on her own.

 

But Athela didn’t want to give up. She liked Toriel, but she liked her mom better. And her house. The fact that she didn’t even get to say goodbye… was painful. It bothered her so much. What would her mother be doing now? She would surely be looking for her, right?

  
Maybe there were no guarantees, but she had to try anyway.

 

The second day, Toriel had examined Athela’s SOUL. The old lady had concluded that it was more of a human SOUL that a monster one. Toriel could feel her determination beating inside. She had also mentioned that, despite having a strong human essence, it also contained monster essence, but… she doubted that would be enough for the young skeleton to cross the barrier on her own. She would probably need something more.

 

Athela wanted to find that “something more”. Maybe it would be difficult, but how could she know it was impossible if she didn’t even try to do it in the first place?

  
That’s why she would tell her… she wanted to leave.

 

It was the third day, and they were both about to have their evening meal. Athela would tell Toriel about her plans once they finished eating. It was her decision… she hoped Toriel would respect it.

 

But… where was Toriel?

 

The food was there, already cooked and served, but Toriel was nowhere to be seen. How strange… And she wasn’t in the garden either.

 

  
“Toriel?” Athela called, walking around the house. But she wasn’t there. Not in her room, either.

 

She felt tired, and she was not in the mood to search for anyone… she hadn’t been able to sleep lately. Such a shame. She always woke up in the middle of the night, sweating bullets, feeling like she was falling down a hole.

  
Luckily, she felt way better than she felt when she first met Toriel, so that was good. That’s what Toriel’s love and care did to people.

 

Athela was passing through the empty hallway, wanting to go look on the garden again, when she saw the stairs…

  
Maybe…

 

  
She had never gone down there before. It hadn’t been necessary, and she didn’t really like basements and underground places. Ironically.

But maybe Toriel was down there. She needed the goat lady if she wanted to know how to get out of the Ruins in the first place, so she would look in the basement, too.

 

“Toriel! Are you down there?” She called, but nobody answered.

 

  
She took one step… and another one.

 

Then, she let go of the handle. It seemed safe enough.

 

It was a long way down, and she wasn’t the most patient person ever… so she tried to rush her way down. She was trying to be as careful as possible, but then…She slipped.

 

 

And poor little clumsy Athela turned into a pile of dust at the bottom of the stairs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It hurts.

 

  
Athela opened her eyes, and found herself at the garden again, surrounded by the Ruins’ usual tranquility. Luckily, saving had become part of her morning routine, so she had just lost a couple hours, but…

 

She had died again. That’s why she could not trust stairs. Stairs were not friends.

 

But that didn’t matter. That wasn’t what had worried her.

 

 

Each time she came back to life, every time the world went back, she would feel a dizzying sensation, her head would feel heavy, everything would spin and that feeling would make her stumble slightly.

 

But now, it also hurt.

 

 

The skeleton brought a hand to her head, shaky, and rubbed her temples, nervous. She had felt a clear flash of pain, a strange sensation she didn’t exactly know how to describe… yet.

 

 

Why did she feel like that?

 

Why was it painful?

 

 

Was it because it had been two days since the last time she had died? Maybe her body had gotten used to not resetting anymore, and thus, she felt pain now.

 

 

…

 

 

“My eye…” Athela didn’t have much time to think about her pain, which had already gone anyway. No… instead, she noticed that her blurry vision had also become... well, not blurrier, but…

 

She brought a hand to her right eye.

 

There was something there.

 

 

A small, soft thing that she could not identify. But it was definitely there, blocking part of her vision.

  
She touched it, and felt a strange numbness as she did so. She felt the softness, and the pressure, as if that thing, whatever could it be, was part of her body.

 

 

Athela started trembling slightly. Her breathing became heavier. She was panicking. That was definitely new. What was it? Why was it there? Why did it feel like that? What was it? What was it? **What was it??**

 

  
She needed to check it out.

 

  
If she had paid attention to her surroundings before darting inside the house, she would’ve seen a golden flower smiling at her.

 

But she was too worried about herself.

 

 

Athela ran through the corridor and to the mirror as fast as she could, feeling as if her SOUL was about to explode from sheer anxiety. Just one small glance, and she knew.

 

Her image was completely normal. Her hair, her clothes… everything…

 

 

Except for a small, yellow flower that grew on her eye socket.

 

 

  
“W… wha….” Athela took a step backwards, completely horrified. As if she hadn’t enough with one murderous flower, she had now another one growing in her body?? What was that??

 

 

She didn’t want to believe it.

 

Trembling, she approached the mirror again, trying to contain her urge to shout, trying to calm her nerves. But of course she couldn’t calm down, there was a flower in her eye socket. A. Friggin. Flower.

 

 

Poor Athela was suffering some sort of panic attack. She couldn’t stop trembling as she stared, horrified, at the cute little flower. The urge to pull it out grew stronger and stronger; she almost did it, in fact, she wanted it OUT of her body. However, once she grabbed one of those golden petals, she had to stop pulling.

 

It felt like a small pinch.

 

 

“Oh… oh no…” Her voice was trembling. So it wasn’t her imagination, she could actually FEEL through that flower. What would happen to her if that flower was plucked? Would it hurt? Would she die?

 

  
She didn’t want to find out.

 

  
But her curiosity made her grab the flower again, really carefully, and tug on it. Softly.

 

 

It hurt. And the flower would not budge; it seemed like its little roots were engraved into her bone.

 

 

Freaking out, she put her head against the mirror. She felt like crying. Why was that happening to her? It was horrible, it was sickening, and she would feel like throwing up if she had a real stomach.

 

Was it related to the reset thing? Maybe both the resets and the flowers came in the same package… but she didn’t have that flower before… why now? Her mind was working at the speed of sound but, sadly, the answers she wanted would not come to her as fast as she wanted them to.

 

 

She looked at herself, mortified, and glared at the small bud, as if it would go away if she just did that… but of course, it didn’t. It stayed there, perfectly still. Athela would’ve even considered the flower beautiful, if it weren’t plastered to her eye.

 

Speaking of her eye… while she looked at her face, the young skeleton noticed something weird.

 

  
“Great… what now?” She let out an annoyed whisper, looking at her eyes.

 

  
As a skeleton, Athela didn’t have “normal” eyes. She just had two empty eye sockets, and inside each of them she had a small sphere, probably made of magic, that served as what could be considered an “eye”. Her mother said that they were normally white, but hers were blue. And normally, those two spheres should be the same color…

 

 

But now, they weren’t.

 

  
Athela stared at her right eye, frowning. The light coming from it was slightly dimmer. Why, she wondered? Was it because of the flower? She never noticed before, but it’s not like she had the best observation skills. Since when did her eye look like that?

 

Maybe it was related to her vision loss… and that had been quite a while ago.

 

That meant, the flower wasn’t related to her hazy vision? But… but it had to be, she couldn’t think of another reason. It couldn’t be that her magic was dying, right? No, no way…

 

 

Scared, the skeleton made her eyes glow a bit. She wanted to look inside her eye sockets, so she could see if there was anything wrong with them… and what she saw made her legs feel like jelly.

 

 

No… it wasn’t just one, was it?

 

Slowly, she came to realize… the real reason why her vision was blurry. The real reason why her head felt heavier than usual, the real reason why she felt dizzy with every reset.

 

 

Why.

 

Why hadn’t she noticed before?

 

The large amount of flowers inside her skull.

 

 

“Ha… haha…” A panicked laugh was the only thing that Athela could let out. She didn’t know how to react. Many things made sense now, but… but… flowers… inside…

 

  
She let the new knowledge come to her, slowly but steadily. She brought a hand to her head, trembling from head to toe, a wicked, nervous smile across her face. She took her time to accept what was happening to her.

 

 

And then, she screamed.

 

 

Athela was frightened. Disgusted. Angry. Too many things at once.

 

Her strong emotions were making her eyes glow, and she felt a strong current of magic going on inside of her; she was just that frightened. She was not used to let out such amount of magic, she felt sick really soon, and she had to stop it immediately after. A small breakdown by a scared skeleton without much magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **Athela - LV 1**  
**Ruins – Home**  
**Nº Resets: 25**


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 10 – A cold door**

 

 

 

Toriel’s house was like a blue lighthouse the moment Athela made the horrifying discovery. Her whole body was trembling, and not only her eyes, but all the holes in her body were emitting a strong light that could be seen from the outside through the windows. She was panicking like a small child: crying, whining, and yelling with all her strength…

 

And yet…

 

 

Nobody came.

 

 

The young skeleton spent some time freaking out and letting tears drench both her clothes and the tiled floor. Her confused, upset mind wouldn’t let her do anything different. The shocking news was too hectic, too stressful.  Of course, her reaction wasn’t _that_ exaggerated. Discovering a bunch of flowers inside of your skull is not something everyone would love… she definitely didn’t. She couldn’t even stand getting water in her eye sockets, how could she deal with something like that?

 

She cried and desperately called for her mom, but nobody came. She felt magic coursing through her body as she shrieked, but nobody came. She desperately wanted help…

 

But nobody came.

 

  
Outside the house, a small golden flower looked at the light show coming from the windows and smiled mischievously. Everything was getting so very interesting.

 

 

After a while, Athela forcefully calmed down when she felt an uncomfortable yank and a general feeling of fatigue. Her tears were running out and her vision was becoming blurry… she had wasted too much magic. She wasn’t even feeling better after that mental breakdown, just… emptier. Weaker. Of course, her problems wouldn’t just fade away with some tears and yelling, but… she was still so afraid. She felt so alone and desperate.

 

She was so tired… and of course, no one was coming. Toriel had left to buy some groceries that same morning. The goat lady had such a wide smile in her face when she left, saying that she never thought she would run out of food so soon. That she would be right back.

 

That was good to some point. That way, she didn’t have to see her breakdown.

 

 

When Athela gathered the energy to look up, minutes later, she saw that the mirror had been pierced by a few magical bones. The glassy pieces were scattered all over the floor, along with some dirt from the nearby flower pots.

 

 

“Oh…” She couldn’t think of anything to say. Did she do that? How? It was impressive to some degree, since she always had trouble to summon a single bone, and yet… there were so many. Interesting, how her frantic emotions were able to make that possible.

 

 

But still… she had never wanted to… oh, no, what a catastrophe. She couldn’t help but feel greatly embarrassed. “Great job, Athela,” she thought to herself while looking at the ceramic shards next to her. Not like she had any skin, she couldn’t cut herself nor bleed like her mother did, but… they were still dangerous. She could get her bones sliced.

 

 

She had to… clean up that mess…

 

She tried to do something, but… she soon realized she was too weak to even stand up. Her bony legs were trembling like jelly; same for her hands. She couldn’t move. Guess the freak-out was still in her mind. And surely the excess of magic got her incredibly tired. That’s just how she felt. Devoid of energy.

 

Scared, worn-out, alone, with a great number of flowers inside of her and mirror debris around her, she couldn’t do anything. But anyway, what could she even do about it? Would Toriel get mad about the wreckage, or would she worry about her?

 

  
…

 

Who cared…? Everything would be reset eventually, anyway…

 

  
Those were Athela’s thoughts before her senses drifted away, making her fall to the floor and faint soon afterwards.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Athela! Athela, are you all right?? Oh, no…” The young lady could hear a shocked voice… somebody was shaking her body lightly. How familiar. Was it… Toriel?

 

…

 

 

Whatever.

 

For some reason, she didn’t even feel like opening her eyes. She still felt too tired. And her body was sore, somehow. It hurt a lot. Something was piercing her bones. It was as if she were… lying on something pointy.

 

She heard Toriel’s panicky screams, but not much was really entering her brain. She felt dizzy, and she could not make a single movement… was she that tired?

 

Oh, someone was lifting her. Now she couldn’t feel her body anymore. She felt, a few seconds later, some warm drops on her face. But she could not identify what they were. Her mind was scattered and it was really hard to identify anything.

 

  
Even her vision was blackening…

 

…

 

How funny…

 

 

* * *

 

 

It hurts.

 

 

When Athela opened her eyes, she was at Toriel’s garden again, surrounded by the Ruins’ usual tranquility. The leaves rested peacefully on the floor, immobile due to the lack of wind. The save point twinkled graciously on its usual spot, bright as usual.

 

 

It seemed like she had died again.

 

 

The pain from the reset came back, throwing a small, aching flash of discomfort to her skull, but as always it was only noticeable for a couple seconds. She rubbed her temples, just like last time she felt such sensation, and took a deep breath.

 

 

Athela was smiling.

 

It wasn’t a happy smile, however.

 

 

Her blue orbs were thin, looking at the far wall but not really focusing on anything. Her fists were trembling, and she didn’t know how to feel. Mostly, she felt scared. But a growing part of her was getting angry. Really angry.

 

Why her? Why? Was that a punishment of some sort?? Did she deserve what was happening to her??

 

Well, maybe running away from her caring, loving mother was enough reason to deserve a punishment, but… that was stretching it too far. It was too painful. She was sorry already, why couldn’t it just stop?

 

 

A single tear rolled down her face. She felt it, it was really warm… odd, how she could feel temperature now. It wasn’t bad… just strange.

 

Poor, sad Athela brought a hand to her eye socket. There was something else there, now. Not just one flower. Looks like there was another one that wanted to join the party. She felt a familiar numbness as she touched them. A nervous laugh escaped her gritted teeth.

 

Was that going to… just keep going? Like that?

 

That was… really miserable…

 

 

“Wow. What a great temper tantrum.” Athela jolted when hearing an amused voice behind her. She immediately turned around… and of course…

 

“It’s you…” Her voice was trembling, too. It was obvious that she was still scared. Scared of the unknown, and scared of what she already knew. Was there something that didn’t frighten the young skeleton in that strange place?

 

“Howdy! It’s me! Flowey the flower!” Happy as always, Flowey winked and stuck his tongue out, trying to look cute. “I see that you like me so much, you’re trying to look like me now!”

 

“...” It wasn’t funny. Not for her, at least; Flowey looked quite entertained.

 

“Boy, that was so amusing. You got so mad you killed yourself? I don’t really know what happened, I just saw the light show. And I also heard the old hag’s screams.” The tiny flower was now regretting that he didn’t enter the scene. Too bad, those were not the kind of scenarios that you could repeat. The girl would not to make a scene like that again even if she reset a thousand times.

 

 

Too bad.

 

 

“Toriel… I’m so sorry…” Athela was thinking about it. How did she die? She probably fainted atop the broken glass. She didn’t know how long the goat lady took to get to her, but… she was slow enough. No, saying it like that made it look like it was Toriel’s fault.

 

 

It was all Athela’s fault. For throwing such a fit, for breaking stuff and for being so dumb to lie on top of mirror shards. She deserved that. What a dumb girl.

 

 

She remembered Toriel’s pained cries. Did she… die in her arms? That should’ve been horrible… She was so sad, so remorseful. What a mess. Why was she like that? Why couldn’t she be stronger? Why did she have to panic like that, to cause pain to others? Toriel, her mother… even Napstablook wept because of her. And she didn’t know more people, or surely they would cry because of her too at some point.

 

Well, at least Flowey seemed happy. Not like Athela wanted him to be. But whatever.

 

 

“Haha. You’re apologizing. What a show.” Yes, he was enjoying himself.

 

“What do you want?” The skeleton didn’t want to die again. But she wanted to make sure that was what Flowey wanted. “Did you come to kill me?” Her voice was slightly shaky as she said that. Sometimes, Flowey appeared to kill her for no reason, and at other times he was just there to harmlessly mess with her. The flower’s expression made her realize it was one of those times.

 

“No way, how can you even think that? Your friend Flowey would not kill you like that!” He feigned surprise, but his charade soon fell, a creepy smile replacing the false shock. “Not without a reason, of course.”

 

“Oh, so you had reasons.” Athela’s tone was bitter.

 

“Well, now I do have a reason, but… I’ll wait a bit. You know, to be nice.” Another wink. Athela frowned and touched the flowers on her face, uneasy. It was so obvious that he was lying. Too obvious…what could he be scheming?

 

“A-and what reason would that be?” She stuttered. Damn. They were sharing a quiet conversation like that, but she was still scared to death of that seemingly friendly smile. And that just made Flowey even more excited.

 

“You see.” Flowey started, nodding. “I knew about the flowers all along. Each time you turned to dust, they were there. And each time, you had more! How interesting, am I right? It’s not something I’ve seen before!”

 

 

Really splendid, Athela thought sarcastically. It was worth killing someone.

 

 

Anyway… he was surprised Flowey knew about the flowers all along. Why didn’t he ever tell…? It was a great way to freak her out, he should’ve said earlier.

 

Wait… oh, no, she did not just think of another way for Flowey to scare her. The poor skeleton sighed and played with her bony fingers as she thought. Maybe he just didn’t tell because she would’ve never believed anything he said. Or… because it was more interesting if she found on her own. She was uncomfortable as she realized that she had started to understand how Flowey worked. After so many deaths, it only made sense that she did, anyway.

 

 

“So I thought.” Flowey continued, his smirk still unfazed. “I could kill you again. To see if you get three flowers on your face or something. It would be really quick, you see.”

 

 

He summoned a pellet, and Athela’s eyes greatly widened. She took a step back, scared, and her back hit the wall. She really thought she would be okay… how stupid of her.

 

 

Flowey observed her reaction and then grinned. With a swift sound, the pellet disappeared.

 

  
“But you know, you die easily on your own. So I’ll just… wait and observe. For now.” Smirking, he cocked his head to one side and then to the other. “Unless you do something that you should not do, of course.” The girl flinched and he giggled, amused. He seemed to enjoy Athela’s panic. What a jerk. She wouldn’t feel completely safe until he disappeared from her sight, though.

 

“…” Athela couldn’t think of something to say. He just threatened to kill her again in the future, didn’t he? The fear was now stuck in her brain and wouldn’t let go, even though it wasn’t the first time he did that.

 

 

He was going to go away now, wasn’t he? She wanted him to go away. Please go away.

 

 

However, before leaving, Flowey added one more thing.  “Oh, and…” he began, “Good luck with explaining _that_ to her.”

 

 

He said a cheerful “bye” and then left, leaving Athela alone with her thoughts. With a sudden realization. A question that made her feel incredibly anxious.

 

 

 

How was she even going to explain her situation to Toriel?

 

 

Athela had been avoiding the reset topic for many reasons: She didn’t want to worry her, she couldn’t find a real reason to explain such a weird situation… She also feared that Toriel would not understand her troubles. Or maybe she remained silent because she just didn’t want to talk about it.

 

But… most importantly...

 

Athela now knew that Toriel was an incredibly warm, nice and kind person. Kinda like her own mother, the goat lady worried about her and wanted to keep her safe. What if Toriel, out of good will to protect her, forbid her to go out once she learnt about the flowers?

 

It wasn’t that bizarre. Maybe to avoid her getting hurt any more, she would lock her up.

 

…

 

Well, that made it seem as if Toriel was mental or something like that. She was not, she would do that for her own good until she found a solution. It made sense, it was not a bad action to take in order to protect someone. But what if Toriel can’t find the key to lifting her curse? That would mean she would be forced to stay in the Ruins forever.

 

And even if staying with the kind old lady did not sound so bad, it didn’t matter; she wanted to go home! What if explaining everything would be a mistake? She didn’t want to try and see…

 

But the flowers… that was something she could not hide, was it? After all, they were right on her face.

 

“Damn…” Muttering, Athela rushed into the house again. She still had time until Toriel came back, maybe she would be able to find a quick solution for her flower issues.

 

 

Before looking at herself in the mirror again, however, she took a long, deep breath. No freaking out this time, Athela. Everything was cool. Well, it wasn’t, but she could not freak out like last time.

 

The thought of more flowers growing in her eye sockets… filled her with fear.

 

  
She could open her eyes only after a few minutes of mental preparation. And even then, she shivered when she saw the flowers growing out of her eye sockets. Her hands were trembling as she got close to the mirror and examined the two golden buds carefully.

 

She touched one, and… it was like touching her face, but… her face was the flower? No, but close enough. She didn’t know how to describe that she felt as if the flower was now a part of her body. It could perceive what she touched it with, and she could feel it too.

 

_It was alive_.

 

 

That made her shudder. But the young skeleton tried to remain as calm as possible. Hiding the flowers… how could she do that?

 

Maybe she could just pluck them out.

 

But Athela remembered… she tried to tug them, and it hurt. Just in case, she tried again. Indeed, it hurt a LOT. It was a soft pull, but it felt as if she was tearing the bone apart. The flower’s roots were firmly attached to her face… ugh. Even just pressing them strongly enough was painful. What a bother.

 

What if she tried the opposite? To shove the flowers in? She had a bunch of other buds inside, so maybe there would be no problem.

 

…

 

…

 

No. No, she didn’t have the courage to shove MORE things into her skull. Her hand would just freeze and refuse to do it. She couldn’t do it. Defeated, she retreated from the mirror and took another deep breath. She leaned her back against the wall and slid down to the floor.

 

Poor Athela.

 

  
What to do now? There was, apparently, no way to hide them, and Toriel would surely ask. How could she avoid the question? She seriously didn’t want to answer, she just wanted to run away from her problems…

 

…

 

Run away…

 

…

 

Was that even an option?

 

…

 

“The exit... where is it?” Athela was starting to seriously consider that idea. She could just leave a note and leave. Would that be too mean? Well, definitely; Toriel would surely cry and worry about her. But… it was a possibility to consider. It was that, or telling Toriel that she liked to decorate her face holes with flowers... and she would not fall for that one, would she?

 

 

The young skelly couldn’t help but think… what would happen if she ran away? She didn’t know where the exit was, nor what was out there. Would it be a dangerous place, even deadlier than the ruins? Without Toriel, she would… die. Again. Oh, no… no, no, she could not go like that again. Not freaking out, rule number one. Well, number two, right after the “run away from freaky flowers” rule.

 

  
Regardless…

 

She took yet another deep breath.

 

  
Toriel would be back any minute now.

 

 

Athela stood up, frowning. She had to do something. Running away was too much, but… she wanted to know where the exit was. Just in case Toriel decided to lock her up or something like that. Then she would have to sneak out.

 

But where could the exit be?

 

Well… there was one place where she hadn’t beheld yet.

 

 

Athela looked at the other end of the corridor, to the entrance. The stairs were there… She had no good memory of them, but she would try again. She was not that stupid, she could go down some silly stairs; what happened before shall never be mentioned again. That’s what she thought, anyway. She quickly walked over to them.

 

 

 

After a few instants of panicky doubt, she started to walk down, never letting go of the handle... Once the handle was gone, she kept close to the wall. These were some long stairs… but she made it down.

 

  
The corridor she was in was way darker than the rest of the house; Athela felt as if she had just entered a cold, dark dungeon. The air was heavy, and she felt uneasy. It looked like a really long passageway, and it wasn’t exactly what one would call spacious.

 

Maybe, just maybe, Athela was feeling slightly claustrophobic.

 

 

But there was no turning back. If she wanted Toriel to not know what she was doing, she had to be quick. So she started walking down the (luckily) flat and completely nonlethal corridor. It didn’t look like there were any puzzles there.

 

Still, it was so quiet… she didn’t like it.

 

Her footsteps and her uneasy breathing were the only things that she could hear.

 

 

 

She walked, and walked… was that a creak? No, it wasn’t. Everything was fine.

 

She kept being slightly scared and paranoid until she found a large door.

 

 

Was that the exit?

 

 

The skeleton approached the door and gave it a push.

 

…

 

Was it locked? Or maybe it was too heavy and she was weak, exactly what had happened with that rock some days ago. It was amazing, she could still remember that.

 

She tried pushing harder…

 

…

 

The door opened making a rustling sound against the floor.

 

 

Athela sighed at her own weakness, but smiled regardless. She smiled, but not for long. Since all that she could see on the other side was… even more of the purple floor and walls. Just how long was that corridor??

 

 

Groaning, the skeleton thought her plan all over again. Was it really a good idea to keep going? She didn’t know how the outside of the Ruins looked like, maybe she was already out. But… it looked exactly the same; was the entire underground like that? No, that was not possible; she remembered Toriel telling her about how monsters went across chilling cold and searing heat to get to their new capital. There had to be more than just purple.

 

She would keep walking… for a little bit more. And then, if she couldn’t find anything interesting –or the exit, for all that mattered –she would go back.

 

 

However, every step the young lady took made her feel as if she was getting into trouble. Worry and fear started conquering her as the corridor got dark, darker… and yet darker.

 

Finally, she saw what looked like an exit. A big, round chamber with some actual grass illuminated by a big ray of sunlight. The skeleton walked to the point where the light touched the grass and looked up. It felt… nice and warm. Revitalizing, somehow. She opened her arms and smiled as the sun made her feel better and stood like that for a while, with her eyes also open despite the slightly blinding light.

 

 

She didn’t know why she did that.

 

Maybe it was just sheer nostalgia; she did miss the surface, her mother, the forest, the sun and the trees…

 

Was she still in the Ruins? It didn’t look like it… but perhaps that was the last room. There was another door at the end of the room, gigantic and heavy looking. That might be the exit, yes.

 

 

Smiling expectantly, Athela approached the exit and touched it. The gate was stone cold; she frowned at the strange cold feeling. The skeleton lady wasn’t sure she liked that sensation; it made her hand go slightly numb.

 

Well that definitely looked like the end. Good. Time to go back to Toriel.

 

…

 

…

 

Oh… maybe… maybe she could… take a sneak peek to the other side of the door. She was now dead curious about what could be on the other side. The door was cold… maybe it was a room full of ice cream… heh, joking. Of course not. She didn’t know what to expect, honestly. And that was the main reason why she wanted to open the door. She… had to.

 

She placed both hands on the door, nervous. Her uneasiness grew even stronger.

 

 

But she had to know.

 

 

She was so curious.

 

 

…

 

 

Well, you know how the say goes…

 

 

Curiosity killed the cat.

 

 

“No, no, no.” Athela almost shrieked at full volume when she heard an oh so familiar voice right behind her. She turned quickly and slammed her back on the wall, feeling panic and distress building up inside her. Flowey stood there, smiling mischievously.

 

“Y-you!” The helpless girl pointed at the flower with one bony finger, but his smile only went wider.

 

 

Flowey clicked his tongue and shook his head slowly. He looked… disappointed?

 

 

“Don’t run away, Athela.” Somehow, the way the flower said her name made her feel even worse. As if a giant claw was gripping her SOUL sturdily.

 

 

Wait…

 

 

Was that the first time he called her by her name?

 

 

Athela couldn’t tell, she had tried to erase every memory of her encounters with Flowey. Anyway, it didn’t matter… She remained immobile, feeling the cold door on her back; her eyes could not escape Flowey’s gaze.

 

 

“That was not our deal.” He added, smiling again.

 

“W-we didn’t make any deal!” She yelled, her voice trembling.

 

“Well, I implied I wanted you to talk to Toriel.” Flowey said, still smiling. “You can’t get out yet.”

 

 

His smile grew more and more terrific as he spoke, sending chills down Athela’s spine. That’s it. That was the moment where she would die again.

 

Athela was trembling, but she tried to move. An inch would be fine, even. She just wanted to… move. Flowey took a moment to laugh, and then the pellets swung through the air at high speed. Directed right to the skeleton.

 

 

She could see them, they were really fast… could she even do something? The poor girl yelled yet again and, in a desperate move, she hit her head against the door behind her. That sudden pain somehow made her react and duck. She slipped and ended crashing her bony butt in the floor. What a painful, sloppy way to dodge an attack, but… hey, it worked!

 

 

She stood up immediately after that, and then took a moment to look at Flowey, completely astounded. She did it. She felt so proud!

 

…

 

“Wow… that was the most pathetic dodge you’ve done thus far. Golly, you’re a complete idiot!” Despite his words, Flowey was smirking. Seems like that entertained him.

 

“W-wait, wait, wait!!” Athela yelled again when she saw him prepare another round of pellets. Flowey arched his eyebrows, wondering what was up. Athela tried to be as honest as possible. “I… I was not trying to escape, I promise! I just… I just wanted to see… what was on the other side of the door…”

 

“… Yeah, of course. And I’m a tulip.” The golden flower didn’t look convinced.

 

“No, really! I was going to head back soon!” She insisted. Flowey lowered the pellets a tad; he seemed to be listening. Athela really appreciated that, he was going to listen, right? “I would never leave Toriel alone like that. I… I would say goodbye first! I’ll go back now and…”

 

 

Athela had to stop talking once she heard a loud bang. It startled her, and…

 

…

 

No. That feeling of painful emptiness…

 

 

“Nice try.” Flowey smirked again, narrowing his eyes. “But… not good enough.”

 

 

When did he even launch another attack? Athela didn’t even have time to think about it, she could only collapse to the floor and feel the unbearable pain of the wounds caused by the pellets. Flowey kept smiling.

 

 

“Hey, look at it on the bright side. Now you don’t have to go all the way back!” His mischievous voice was fading away…that empty sensation was taking over Athela’s body again, and she couldn’t help but be terrified by it. No matter how many times she felt it.

 

 

She let the tears fall as she turned slowly into dust.

 

Soon, she’d be enjoying her new eye flower, back at Toriel’s garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **Athela - LV 1**  
**Ruins – Home**  
 **Nº Resets: 27**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 11 – A sour goodbye**

 

 

 

Athela sat on the garden’s ground, feeling defeated, tired and powerless after the last forced load. Her fingers rummaged through the red leaves next to the save point, and she squished them slightly, to which they made a crackling sound.

 

She didn’t even have to look; she knew for certain that another flower was now growing in her skull, fully visible next to its two other companions. And that was not even counting the ones inside her head, of course.

 

One of the reasons why she knew was… because of her vision. It felt strange, like having her eye covered with a sticker. A sticker she could not remove. That should’ve made her feel really anxious, because… what would happen to her eye at that rate? But no, poor Athela wasn’t even thinking about that.

  
  
She was just angry at that annoying flower. That terrifying monster who kept forcing her to dance to his tune. And if she didn’t, he would kill her. How simple, and yet how scary that was. It made her feel so powerless, she could not stand it. And she could only truly blame herself.

 

 

Why was she so weak?

 

Why couldn’t she be a human, like her mother?

 

 

If only she had more strength…

 

 

She lied down atop the leaves, sighing deeply. As she had some time before Toriel came to ask the inevitable, she would spend that time just… feeling miserable. Sounded like a nice plan. Lying down and feeling like garbage because of how weak she was. She was being easily toyed with by Flowey, so easily it was even insulting.

 

 

She should get stronger.

 

 

But of course, that would never happen. Even if it was out of spite, the skeleton would not give her dear killer that satisfaction. It was him, who suggested her to kill. To gain LOVE. Well, not today, flower. You can’t control me THAT much. That’s what she thought as her hand softly pet the leaves.

 

 

Athela closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

 

  
Breathe in and out, Athela. There’s no point in getting mad over something you can’t fight. It would be better if she just proceeded her journey quickly. Once out, Flowey would not follow her anymore, would he? And even if he did, Athela’s mother would definitely protect her. She was so strong. The young monster smiled as she remembered her mother’s gentle smile.

 

It filled her with determination.

 

 

 

A sudden flash of pain made her open her eyes and stand, startled. What on earth just happened? Was Flowey there again??

 

…

 

Oh, wait, she was standing near the save point. Maybe she saved unconsciously, and thus the pain. Hehehe. What a dummy she was.

 

 

…

 

 

No, wait a second.

 

Flowey was indeed there!!

 

 

“Howdy!” he said, with a tranquil smile. Athela shrieked and took several steps back, frightened, and Flowey seemed to like that reaction, as he smiled smugly. “Golly! That expression on your face never seems to bore me!”

 

“W-what do you want now?? I’m waiting for Toriel, just like you told me!” She almost yelled as she gave him an annoyed glare. Her left eye was glowing intensely due to her fear and anger, but that didn’t seem to bother the little flower at all.

 

“Jeez, girl! Chill~” he answered, sticking his tongue playfully as he always did when he pretended to play nice. “I was just bored of you doing nothing. I’m not going to hurt you.”

 

“…Don’t you have anything better to do?” She reproached, pouting. Of course she didn’t trust him. It would be way better to be meek and quiet, maybe that way he would not get angry. But of course she could not control her tongue when she was upset. Dang.

 

 

However, Flowey didn’t look bothered. Did he ever get mad? Not that Athela had ever seen him angry. Maybe it was better this way… he was already really strong with that bouncy attitude of his. She didn’t want to think how he would be like if his buttons got pushed.

 

No. Instead of anger, the flower just raised an eyebrow and silently looked at her, as if she had just stolen his catchphrase. But he didn’t look really annoyed. He even decided to answer the question. Because no, he didn’t have anything better to do.

 

 

“Not really. Everything else got boring already," he replied, smiling softly. Athela groaned, not really understanding.

 

“Can’t you leave me alone and… just go solve a puzzle?” She asked.

  
“I’ve already solved every puzzle." He seemed willing to answer. Athela raised an eyebrow too, and asked something else.

 

“Then… go mess them up?” It was not a nice proposal, but at least it was a nice second option that didn’t involve her getting killed.

 

“I already did that, too." Flowey laughed, with a slight sour tone. Or maybe it was his usual sarcastic tone? Athela couldn’t really tell. She just supposed Flowey wasn’t being honest with her.

 

“That’s impossible. The puzzles were fine when I found them." Athela suppressed a shiver at the memory of the deadly puzzles. But the feeling of grateful bliss took over once she realized she would not have to go through those anymore. What a wonderful feeling. Well, she could do them again if she totally had to, because she already knew their pattern, but that was nothing that would happen! She already saved her progress, so no going back! That made her feel really happy about herself. She smiled a bit. She gazed at the flower again, though. Carefully, since she didn’t want to lower her guard… not even for a second.

 

 

She was expecting an answer to her comment. But Flowey just stood there, quiet.

 

Smiling.

 

 

How eerie. Athela didn’t like him, not at all. Why would he just stay quiet like that?

 

Well, she didn’t want to talk to him either. The thought of them both sharing a peaceful conversation… how bizarre. That would never happen. No, the only thing they could ever have were uncomfortable silences and unnerving smiles and death threats.

 

They would never be friends.

 

 

It was not that strange, Athela thought. She considered herself a friendly person; she never had any friends, but she had always wanted some. Or, at least, one. One friend that would visit her, a nice friend who would tag along for a walk in the forest… She would show them her favorite spots, and they would laugh together. She had always wanted something like that, and that’s why she was willing to be as friendly as possible. If you were nice, people would like you better. That’s what her mother said. A nice smile and kind words were all that it would take to cause a nice first impression. And it would snowball from there to a nice friendship. That’s what Athela wanted.

 

Of course, Flowey smiled, but… Athela was certain, that was not the kind of smile her mother was referring to.

 

 

No, she didn’t like him. And she would never be friends with her killer.

 

 

A question rose to her mind. If someone kills you several times, does that make them a serial killer?

 

But she was digressing. That was not really something she should be thinking about, not when Flowey was right there. She should be careful, just in case he felt like throwing a pellet at her out of boredom.

 

 

“You seem so tense." Flowey laughed at her, enjoying every second of their time together. At least someone was having fun, Athela thought as she gripped her skirt nervously. The small flower kept eyeing her, seemingly interested in the flowers growing out of her eyes.

 

 

Creepy.

 

  
“…” Athela didn’t even feel like talking. She didn’t want to be there. She would prefer… to go inside. But she did not dare to move. Too bad.

 

“You’re pretty boring." Flowey was, indeed, starting to get bored due to her lack of dialogue or movement. “When you’re not fighting for your life, I mean. Golly! Maybe you should try and socialize a bit, instead of running away all the time~” He added that last sentence after seeing Athela’s blue orbs contract as she heard how funny she was when she was dying. Really, didn’t he realize how creepy he was?!

 

  
Luckily, the skeleton’s struggle would not last for long.

 

 

“Oh. There she comes." Flowey jerked his head up, noticing someone in the distance. Athela looked, too, and openly smiled when she saw a familiar goat silhouette approaching, with what looked like a bag of groceries.

 

  
To add in her delight, she noticed Flowey was now gone. She let out a deep, relieved sigh, and then a giggle escaped her teeth. The young skeleton almost run to her encounter, grinning widely.

 

 

“Toriel!” Athela called for her, and the goat lady looked right at her and gave her a warm smile, too.

 

“Greetings, my child," she hailed, also fastening her pace to quickly get to Athela.

 

“Greetings!” The skeleton mimicked her speech, and that made Toriel’s smile go even wider. The old lady used her free arm to gently hug the young girl, and Athela happily hugged back.

 

“You seem so happy to see me… and I was only gone for a short hour." Toriel pointed out, amused. Then, she pat Athela’s hair softly. She would usually not like that, but Toriel was a friend and she could touch her hair all she wanted. It felt nice.

  
“I missed you," she answered honestly. Of course, for Toriel it had been an hour, but for Athela, it had been a lot more. It had felt like an eternity, too, so…

 

“Aw, how cute!” Toriel was pleased to hear that. She let out a soft laugh. “To be honest, I also wanted to see you soon, young one. It’s not every day I have guests, you see.”

 

  
There was a sad glint in Toriel’s eyes for a fraction of a second. Athela felt bad for Toriel; she already understood that the old monster had been alone for only God knows how much time. She felt… pity. And a sense of understanding, too. She knew what loneliness felt like, of course. It was not pleasant.

 

At least she had her mother. She really hoped Toriel had someone who could cheer her up from time to time. She deserved to be happy for all the good things she did.

 

  
Toriel stared into Athela’s eyes for a moment… then, her smile turned into a confused grin.

 

 

“Athela? What is that? Did you take them from my room?” The old lady caressed Athela’s cheek, softly touching one of the flowers. They were really similar to those that rested in Toriel’s room, indeed. Toriel’s touch was… warm. And fluffy. She had been careful enough, so the flowers didn’t complain. But…

 

 

Oops.

 

She totally forgot about the flowers as soon as she saw Toriel.

 

 

Well, at least the old lady didn’t seem really alarmed, but rather confused…maybe… maybe that was her chance!!

 

 

“Uh… do you like them?” She asked, with a slightly trembling voice. She feigned to rearrange the flowers a bit, as if they were there just for show. That cost her a bit of pain, though; she had to suppress the urge to frown. Toriel raised an eyebrow, still smiling. She had not seemed to notice the girl’s apprehension.

 

“Well, they look rather cute. But usually, one would put flowers in their hair…Are you okay? Is this a skeleton thing?” Toriel seemed curious. Maybe it was just one way of improving their looks the youngsters had these days?

 

“Uh… yes! Yes it is!” She nodded, kinda desperate to cover the sad, traumatic story behind those seemingly harmless flowers. She was just blindly going with what she previously thought it would never work at all; her brain could not think of anything else to say. But…

 

“Interesting," she commented, still eyeing the buds. Surely she believed that lie because she wasn’t a skeleton herself. While a real skeleton would not like to have anything in their eye sockets, to other people it could look like they would not really mind. They were just two empty holes, after all. What was the big deal, you would think?

 

  
Well, for Athela it was a big deal. She still felt really uncomfortable, because her vision was getting blurrier with each reset, and also the pressure was not a nice thing to feel, either.

 

And just the general nerve-wracking uneasiness. She wish she could just trim them, jeeze.

 

 

The skeleton sighed with relief when she saw that Toriel just lost interest on that matter shortly after she heard her mumbling something that sounded like “I’ll ask him about it later”.

 

Him who? She wondered. Maybe Toriel also had a nice phone buddy. That would actually be great. Someone whom she could have a nice conversation with, every once in a while. She would’ve asked who that person was, but Toriel started speaking again, cutting the skeleton’s thoughts.

 

 

“Well, as long as you’re happy." Toriel nodded, not suspecting a thing about the lie Athela just told her, and then let go of the hug to focus her attention on the groceries once again. “Shall I start cooking? It’s almost lunch time," she announced, as she wiggled the bag and smiled again. Athela smiled too, as she remembered what Toriel made for lunch on the last timeline.

 

“Oh yes, snail pie!” Athela liked snail pie. It had an acquired taste, but she could easily ignore the weirdness of the flavor and just enjoy it. After all, pie was pie.

 

“Oh, my… how did you know?” Toriel seemed impressed at Athela’s perceptiveness. She was smiling again.

 

“Uh… I just… supposed you would suggest one of those?” The young skeleton hid her nervousness under a smile that, fortunately, didn’t turn out as sore as she expected. Of course, this was the same lunch time. She knew what was going to happen now, but Toriel never told her. If she didn’t want to look suspicious, she needed to tone down her enthusiasm a little bit.

 

“My, how perceptive you are, my child." The goat lady slowly started to walk towards the house as she spoke. She was probably hungry, and it was the same for Athela, so she followed her closely. The poor skeleton was really hungry lately. Certainly it was because of the great amount of stress certain flower insisted on giving to her. Stress usually made her hungry. And then she wanted chocolate, or another sweet treat. But snail pie was enough for now.

 

 

The two ladies entered the house; Toriel seemed to be in a good mood, as she had started to hum an unfamiliar tune. It was an interesting song, but Athela had never heard it before, so she just listened to it.

 

Sadly, she couldn’t really pay much attention to it. Her mind was busy thinking of what to do. She was really, really curious about the cold door, and she definitely wanted to go to the other side… it was, after all, the path she should take in order to get out of the underground. She needed to talk to Toriel about this. About… leaving.

 

 

Even if that hurt her.

 

 

Of course she didn’t want to leave Toriel alone again, but… what about her own mother? She couldn’t stop thinking about her. A few days had passed, so what if she thought her daughter was dead? What would she do? Surely, she was crying… oh no, Athela didn’t want her mom to cry. She just wanted to be with her again.

 

…

 

It had to be done.

 

 

 

Toriel had gone to the kitchen straight away, and was now starting to prepare the pie. Athela was just walking in circles around the living room table, thinking of what to say. She would never forgive herself if she made the gentle old lady cry again.

 

Again…

 

 

Stop it, Athela. There’s no use on thinking of absurd past timelines. That never happened, not anymore. Breathing in and out, trying to calm herself, she decided to enter the kitchen to talk directly with Toriel.

 

 

“Greetings, Athela." Toriel welcomed her with a warm smile. Athela smiled back, but her smile didn’t turn out entirely honest, and that worried Toriel; she placed the mix bowl on the stove and cleaned a spot on her apron before asking. “Is there something wrong?”

 

“Greetings…” Athela’s face was like an open book. She was nervous and felt guilty, and Toriel could see that. The old lady waited for the young one to say something, wielding a worried expression, as she always did when something went wrong. After a moment, she managed to gather the courage to talk. “I… I went to the basement…”

 

 

Toriel frowned a bit in disapproval. It was a sad frown.

 

  
“Oh… did you?” She sighed, seemingly defeated. “You shouldn’t go there. It’s drafty, you could catch a cold.”

 

“I’m sorry. I was just curious." And that curiosity ended up straight killing her. Well, Flowey was the one who killed her, but… she messed it up. She was partially to blame. Anyway, she wasn’t going to tell Toriel any of that.

 

“You… did you get to the other side?” Toriel asked. She looked sad, but also, somewhat… grateful. Maybe the fact that Athela didn’t leave made her feel better.

 

“No..." So Athela was right. That was the exit. Of course, Flowey killed her because he didn’t want her to get out, so figures. Nonetheless, it was nice to hear it from Toriel’s mouth. “I didn’t go outside the Ruins yet, I… I wanted to talk to you first.”

 

“Thank you, my child." Toriel said, sighing once more. Truly, it would’ve been too sad if she left without saying goodbye. “I… I know I must not stop you from getting out. You are right by trying to get home…"  Now there was a sad expression across her face. She obviously didn’t want her to leave. “I… would’ve liked to spend some more time with you, but… I suppose it can’t be done. Still. It’s dangerous outside. You’re not… exactly strong, Athela.”

 

“… I know." The skeleton looked down to the tiled floor and frowned. She hated it, but there was nothing she could do about it. “Still. I need to try. I will do my best, I promise!”

 

“I believe you will." Toriel smiled and patted Athela’s hair softly to reassure her. “You’re really perseverant, aren’t you? And you’re not a defenseless child, after all. I believe you will make it out of here… that’s what I wish to happen.”

 

 

Toriel trusted her.

 

Well, that was very sweet of her. Because Athela didn’t trust herself, but… maybe all she needed was a little bit of encouragement. Just like the guy on the phone did a few days ago.

 

All her life, her mother had sheltered the poor girl, because she was weak, fragile. It was all so Athela could stay alive and safe, and she understood, but… She never really left her alone to do anything potentially dangerous. So… Perhaps that was all she lacked: a little bit of confidence.

 

 

“Thank you, Toriel," Athela grabbed the goat lady’s sleeve, feeling kind of emotional. She was really grateful that she could trust her. Toriel looked happy.

 

“It’s nothing, Athela," she replied. “But at least… can you share one last meal with me? I would go with you, but… I have to stay here.”

 

 

Athela nodded vigorously, smiling, though she stiffened up a bit when she felt the flowers moving along with the shaking. Thankfully, Toriel didn’t notice that. She was happily focused on cooking now. She would make the best snail pie she’d ever made. And, of course, Athela would help.

 

 

Eventually, the food was made, and they both went to the living room to eat it. Both ladies were really quiet, but Athela still had many questions to ask. Therefore she left her fork for a second.

 

 

“So… That door. Where does it lead to?” The young lady couldn’t stop thinking about the door. The cold door that Flowey never let her open. “It was really cold.”

 

“You mean, the last door? That one leads to Snowdin, my child,” Toriel replied after swallowing.

 

 

Great, new things. Athela was not sure if she liked the new place yet, but the name sounded nice. Sounded like it had snow. Maybe that’s why it was cold. It would make sense.

 

  
“What’s in there?” The skeleton wanted to ask so many things, but one question at a time would be fine for now.

 

“Well… Snow," Toriel chuckled. “And trees. And a lot of dogs…” Toriel seemed deep in thought. The old lady smiled widely shortly afterwards. “And, as far as I know, skeletons.”

 

“What? S-skeletons?” Athela’s eyes went wide open with surprise. She never expected that… of course, the underground had lots of monsters as far as she knew, therefore she would naturally encounter her own kind at some point. But… so soon? “R-really? Skeletons like me? Oh… how are they? Do you know? Will they… do you think they will like me?”

 

 

Her sheer enthusiasm and nerviness made the old lady smile. What a cute child.

 

 

“My, such eagerness," she chuckled. “I don’t think you have to worry about them. Sadly, I cannot tell you many details, as I haven’t really seen them myself. But I’m sure they will like you. You’re a really nice girl, after all.”

 

“T-thank you..." Athela blushed a bit with the compliment. She couldn’t handle flattery really well, oops. She ate more pie in order to calm down. It worked.

 

 

Maybe she was eating too fast… Regardless, Toriel looked at her with a sweet expression on her face. Melancholy could also be perceived there, but Athela was too busy eating to realize. Toriel sighed and also ate; she was still thinking about Athela’s departure. She didn’t want her to leave… something told her it would not end up well.

 

But who was her to stop a lonely girl who just wanted to go home? She would do the same, if she just could…

 

  
Memories were flowing, filling her with nostalgia. She sighed, and stared at her plate. There was some pie left, but she didn’t feel like finishing it, somehow. However, Athela kept gobbling up as if she hadn’t eaten in days. That was rather cute. Soon, all of her food was gone, only crumbles were left.

 

 

“Would you like to keep a slice? For the road." Toriel noticed how much Athela liked her cooking, surely she would like to store a bit of it for her journey.

 

“Oh! Of course!” Indeed, Athela loved the idea. Some extra pie, what a wonderful thing.

 

 

Toriel smiled and stood up from her chair, then nodded and walked towards the kitchen, silently. Athela remained seated and looked at the pie leftovers Toriel didn’t finish. Toriel always finished her plate…

 

The skeleton frowned, feeling a little bit sad. She knew it wasn’t easy, Toriel was probably unhappy about her decision to leave. But… she had to. Even if she loved Toriel very much.

 

She had to.

 

 

She sighed, and then stood up as well. The end was near. She would leave soon. That filled her with uncertainty; what would possibly await on the other side?

 

A forest? It sounded like a forest… and she loved forests. She had never seen snow before, but surely it was good. Cold climates… a new thing she was willing to see.

 

 

“I’m back. Here you go." Toriel was there again with an appetizing slice of snail pie. The more Athela ate it, the more she liked it. The skeleton smiled and saved it.

 

“Thanks," she said, smiling widely.

 

 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room after that.

 

It… was hard to say goodbye.

 

 

“I suppose… you’ll be leaving now." Toriel looked sad, but she smiled anyway. She wanted Athela to be happy, and if that meant she had to leave, so be it. Her expectations… Her loneliness… Her fear… For her, she would put them aside.

 

 

Athela looked aside and nodded.

 

 

“I… I want to go to the garden one last time," Athela needed to save. She didn’t know what was out there, it could be dangerous. Saving was a pain, but important regardless. Toriel nodded to that, and accompanied her to the patio. There, Athela looked at the big tree for a while, and then at the red leaves beneath the save point.

 

  
She was going to miss that house. And Toriel. She looked at the old lady, who gazed back into her eyes with a warm smile across her face.

 

Athela took a deep breath.

 

She was one step closer to her freedom.

 

 

That… filled her with a good feeling.

 

 

Then, the usual sharp pain came back. She didn’t even need to do anything. Maybe she was just getting so used to it, she didn’t even need to touch the glowing light. That was good… more or less. She closed her eyes strongly when she felt the soreness spread across her skull. She was also getting used to that.

 

She felt a pat on the head. Toriel was worrying about her again.

 

  
“I’m fine," she blurted out, to make Toriel feel better. “It’s just a headache.”

 

“You’ve been having some of those, lately. Are you sure you’re okay?” The worried old woman patted Athela’s hair, concerned about her well-being. Athela just nodded, smiling again. The pain was gone.

 

 

…

 

Progress was saved. She could finally leave now.

 

…

 

  
She couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye.

 

 

“I’ll lead you to the door." Toriel’s face was stern. Nobody seemed to be happy with this. Athela sighed and followed. The corridor felt even colder and smaller now. She still remembered her bad experiences with Flowey, so she stood close to Toriel the whole time. Holding her hand.

 

 

Whilst they walked together, Athela was thinking. Should she say anything? Should she… do anything? It felt so sour, leaving like that. She felt bad.

 

But… the door was already there. What a frustrating situation. Last time, it felt like ages to her. And now they got to the door in less than a few minutes.

 

 

Was it already over? It was just the first door, but Toriel had stopped, as if she would not go further than that point. Oh, no. She wanted to stay with her until the end…

 

 

“This is it…” Toriel whispered. “I wish you the best of luck, Athela." Her solemn expression made Athela feel sadder.

 

“T-Toriel, I… I’ll miss you," she said, noticing how her voice trembled a bit. Toriel looked even sadder once she heard that. She was making her best effort not to get too emotional, and yet… The old lady took a deep breath.

 

“If you truly wish to leave the Ruins…I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back..." Those words were really harsh. Athela’s eyes were filled with tears now. Curious thing, her right eye, the one where the flowers were, was shedding less tears than her left eye. Were the flowers obstructing the water, or were they absorbing them? She didn’t know. Regardless, Toriel kept talking as she gently placed a hand in her shoulder. “I hope you understand.”

 

  
Yes. She did understand.

 

She was going to leave the underground. And they would probably never meet again, wouldn’t they? That was her goal. Going back would only give her false expectations.  
  
She didn’t want that.

 

  
“I… I understand. Thanks for taking care of me." Athela tried to wipe the tears, carefully.

 

 

Toriel could not stand the skeleton’s tears. She kneeled down and pulled the girl into a big, loving hug. Athela didn’t take long to hug back. The tears were not stopping anymore; Toriel’s dress got drenched, but she didn’t seem to mind. They hugged as if it were the last time they would see each other again and then, Toriel let go. She wiped Athela’s tears away, and then kissed her forehead.

 

 

“Goodbye," she whispered, before getting up again. Athela gritted her teeth and watched her walk away.

 

  
They shared one last gaze before Toriel turned back again and disappeared into the corridor.

 

 

It was done. She wasn’t there anymore.

 

  
Athela was… alone.

 

 

 

She turned to the door and pushed it forcefully. The same corridor welcomed her as she walked towards the exit. Again, it felt like an infinite passageway. The echo of her footsteps resonated and brought back the oh-so-familiar dread, the fear.

 

 

She was alone.

 

Alone in an unknown world.

 

 

What could she do now? The urge to go back to Toriel rose up inside her with the force of a typhoon. She was so afraid of being alone. But… she should be strong. Because Toriel trusted her. She would show her faith to be genuine and worthy. She would make it out even if it was the last thing she’d do.

 

 

The last room.

 

 

And of course, there he was. Atop the grass, surrounded by the light that came from up above, a small little flower stood. Smiling. Flowey the flower.

 

 

“Clever. Verrrryyy clever." He started talking, his face showing a twisted, mischievous grin. Athela didn’t know what he meant…she was too scared to ask, anyway. She feared he would kill her yet again. She never know what to expect. “You think you’re really smart, don’t you?”

 

 

Athela shook her head. She didn’t think she was smart at all. In fact, she felt really bad at the moment, so she would appreciate it if Flowey could shut up just for once. But she said nothing. So he kept talking.

 

 

“Hee hee hee… I bet you feel really great." The flower nodded, still smiling. “You managed to get through! With tricks and lies, but hey, everything’s valid!”

 

“N-no, I didn’t…!” Athela jumped up at what Flowey just said. However, she abruptly stopped talking when she saw Flowey shape his face… and turn it into one that really looked like her own.

 

“Uh… do you like the flowers?” Even the voice he made was really like hers. It was… a new level of creepy. Athela looked horrified as the flower kept imitating her. “It’s totally a skeleton thing! It’s not like I died or anything! I don’t know anything about loads and resets! Nope, not a thing! So don’t worry and just let me go now, old hag!”

 

“Wait, I never said anything like that!!” She clenched her fists as she felt anger boiling up.

 

 

But Flowey just smiled.

 

 

“No?” He then regained his normal face and voice, and of course the smug grin was still there. “How curious. It totally sounded like you wanted to avoid the topic so you didn’t have to explain anything. Aren’t you being too lazy, Athela?”

 

 

Don’t say my name. I don’t like it when you say my name.

 

  
“I just… I didn’t want to worry her! She would get really sad if she knew!” She yelled, frowning. Flowey just didn’t understand. How could he understand?

  
“Yes, of course." Flowey flailed his head with a dramatic expression, and started imitating Athela again. “Oh, she worries too much. If I fell her the truth, she will never let me out of here. Let’s lie to her so I can get out of here faster." His expression turned more impish at the end. Athela was speechless.

 

“I…. I…” That felt like a punch to the chest. How did he know that she had considered Toriel would do that if she told her…? No, but she didn’t… she wouldn’t do something like that, she…

 

“Golly! Looks like I hit the jackpot!” Flowey was proud of himself. “I totally guessed what was going on in that little flowered head of yours, didn’t I?”

 

“N-no, you didn’t," she lied.

 

“Ah, another lie… what a misbehaving lady. What would Toriel say?” Flowey laughed. Athela took a step back. Her anger had totally disappeared, and now only guilt remained.

 

 

She… did it because she was worried. She…

 

 

“Well," Flowey continued, “now it’s lying. Maybe later, you will get even meaner. Who knows? You’re half human, after all… aren’t you?”

 

 

Athela stared at him, confused. Still unable to formulate any kind of question or… any sentence, really. She was just feeling awful, and confused, and scared, and…

 

  
“…” No, no words were coming out. Even if she tried… could she even excuse herself?

 

“This is going to be so very interesting..." The flower’s face then grew, showing a horrid, cruel smile. His voice sounded distorted as he laughed like a maniac, scaring Athela even more than she already was.

 

 

Then, he regained his original size and winked cutely before burrowing into the ground and disappearing from the skeleton’s sight.

 

 

And she was alone again.

 

 

 

**Athela - LV 1**  
**Ruins – Home**  
**Nº Resets: 27**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this ends the Ruins' arc? Maybe it is, maybe not :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 12 – The freezing forest**

 

 

 

The door opened with a heavy sound, a loud groan that resonated within the Ruins’ corridors, echoing and making it sound as if it were a hungry beast who just awoke from deep slumber.

 

A light, icy breeze welcomed Athela as she affixed her gaze on the landscape that awaited. Silent. Frozen.

 

The familiar shape of trees was longed-for; Athela was immediately reminded of home. She had always lived in the mountains, so it was nice to find trees. Actual life, not just purple stone corridors and pillars. The trees stood up to the sky, and Athela was glad to find so many of them.

 

She loved forests.

 

  
But… she was not really familiar with snow.

 

 

“What is this?” Amazed, she looked to the strange white fluff that covered the floor. It was soft, and it creaked when she stepped on it. It was everywhere… how strange.

 

 

She remembered then, she used to play some games, read some books, where snow was mentioned. It was supposed to be cold, and you could play with it and have snowball fights. Sounded fun… if she had any friends to play with, that is.

 

So that’s what snow was like in real life. How odd… smiling slightly, the skeleton bent down and placed her skelly hand on the snow’s surface, curious. How would it be like?

 

  
“Wow! It’s cold!” Athela had to withdraw her hand immediately. It was…a very strange feeling. Not pleasant. Snow was really soft and malleable, in fact, her hand had left a funny impression in it, like when you step in mud and your shoe print stays there. But it was also cold… very cold. It made her fingers go numb… she didn’t really understand how this ‘cold’ thing worked, because those sensations were new to her. Curious, she touched the snow again. Then, she squealed and withdrew her hand once more. And then she did it again. She wanted to make sure that the sensation was not pleasant. She found that she still didn’t like it very much.

 

 

Oh, well, it didn’t matter. Maybe she could get some gloves later on. There was something about snow that really fascinated her… maybe it was the way it glittered in the light, or just its pure white color. She didn’t know, but she liked it, and at the same time she disliked it. What a shame.

 

  
After deciding that snow was not to be touched, she stood up and nodded, determined to start moving again. Flowey’s words were still clinging to her, making the poor skeleton feel like a lousy liar and a bad person… but that couldn’t be helped. She had to keep going.

 

And so she went. She took a few steps forward and heard the door slowly closing behind her with a rumble and a loud thud; she turned quickly and stared at it with slight apprehension. That strange symbol of the angel and the triangles was there, too… she couldn’t help but wonder what it meant. She should’ve asked Toriel when she had the chance, but now… it was too late.

 

Sighing, she marched down the snowy path, not really noticing the video camera hidden in the nearby bushes.

 

  
Slowly, she walked forward. It was a really long way, she couldn’t really see the end of it. She could only see trees, and more trees, trees everywhere. Once she looked up to see where they ended, she noticed something: there was no sky above her, but instead only a rock-strewn ceiling, to her dismay. Of course, she wasn’t out yet. The fact that there was snow there kinda gave her a hint, but that confirmed it. Just how big was this mountain?

 

  
Suddenly, the wind howled, and her hair moved along with her pajama skirt. That gust was stronger that the last one, so she ought to take care. Athela took hold of her hair so it wouldn’t get messy, and she felt a few snow pellets land on her face as they were swirled up and away by the gale. It was weird. But then…

 

 

It hurts.

 

 

With a confused, loud yell, she covered her eyes.

 

 

It hurts.

 

Why?

 

What is this?

 

 

Alarmed, she bent down, carefully touching her face. She felt frozen, stiff… why? That didn’t make any sense, she had no skin whatsoever…

 

…

 

Could it be…? The flowers?

 

 

The girl carefully led one finger to the buds blooming in her right eye and gave them a light touch. They felt more rigid than usual. Maybe they were sensitive to the cold? Well, they were flowers… flowers don’t often bloom on snow, and that’s for a reason.

 

  
So… was that why she was feeling cold?

 

Flowers don’t like the cold. Okay. But… what was she going to do about it? She… she wasn’t going to die because of a little snow, right? That would be… pathetic…

 

Not more pathetic than some of her greatest deaths, though. She should make a top ten, “Top Ten Most Pathetic Athela Deaths”. She could even make a Meowtube video about it, heh, she would become a celebrity.

 

  
The wind howled again, though not as violently as before, and Athela covered her eyes once again with her bony hands. The flowers seemed to wrinkle in pain. Too bad her hands were not the greatest shields; the wind went right through them. However, the wind wasn’t as intense as last time, so she calmed down a bit and her mind strayed away from her negative thoughts. It wasn’t so bad. It was fine.

 

Everything was fine.

 

 

She thought so as she kept walking through the forest. It was so silent, so quiet… Athela wondered, where could Flowey be? Was he also cold? It would be great if he just left her alone for a while. As far as she knew, there were no traces of him. He was nowhere to be seen… maybe he really left.

 

She was alone.

 

 

Only the low, quiet crunching of her boots stepping on the snow could be heard as she walked. Athela was standing with her guard up, just in case the wind came back to say hi. As soon as she felt the lightest breeze, she would cover her eyes.

 

Meanwhile, she looked around, starting to feel paranoid. Maybe Flowey was watching her after all. She felt like she was being watched. Who was there?

 

 

“Is… is anyone there?” She asked, but nobody answered. Of course nobody answered, who would? If anyone was following her, they would not answer a question like that. But the young skeleton still felt anxious. The forest was so quiet… it seemed infinite. She looked at every tree trunk, expecting to see someone trying to hide, but she didn’t find anyone. She felt lost, and the urge to return to Toriel’s place came back.

 

 

But she could not retreat anymore.

 

  
She had to keep going, anyway! She had a goal! And no one was going to stop her... Or maybe someone would, but she would try her best to outsmart them anyway.

 

 

She would…

 

…

 

 

Thud.

 

 

Not having time to think, Athela found herself falling face first to the ground. Her foot got caught on something and she tripped, apparently. The lack of anticipation for it made her shriek before her face was planted on the snow.

 

And then, the screams became even louder.

 

 

It was so cold.

 

So, so cold.

 

  
It felt as if small knives were being piercing her skull. No… not her skull. It wasn’t her skull that was complaining about it.

 

Somehow, she managed to pull herself away from the ground. But it still hurt. It was complete hell and the worst part is that she didn’t know what to do. How could you make the cold stop??

 

She couldn’t even open her eyes, she couldn’t see a thing. The pain didn’t let her think about anything else. Athela felt the flowers withering… as well as her strength.

 

…

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“I’ll lead you to the door." Toriel’s face was stern. She didn’t look happy.

 

 

Athela needed a moment to understand what was happening. Toriel was there, and… the pain, too. Was she back?

 

…

 

Half of her right eye was completely covered by flowers.

 

…

 

Did the snow really kill her?

 

 

Toriel didn’t seem to notice the younger monster’s puzzled expression, as she turned and started walking towards the door. The young lady had no other option than to follow her.

 

 

Athela looked at Toriel’s back as she slowly walked in front of her. She would’ve liked some time to get used to the fact that she was back again… she was still slightly woozy, and… her eye… she could see, but… she was feeling really anxious. The flowers seemed to have rearranged a bit, she could feel them closer to her skull. As if they were trying to get as much light as possible. That was creepy… how many more deaths would it take for her to become…

 

 

No. No, don’t think about that. No.

 

With a sigh and her hands trembling from anxiety, she followed Toriel. The situation was so familiar… she knew what was going to happen, and… she wished there was a way to stop the sad moments. Of course, there wasn’t.

 

The skeleton quickened her pace to catch up with Toriel, who was already a few meters ahead of her. The young monster didn’t want to, but her mind kept going back to the flowers in her eyes. She poked them, gently and carefully. Remembering the cold area up ahead wasn’t helping her calm down.

 

 

“This is it…” Toriel whispered, startling the girl. “I wish you the best of luck, Athela." Her solemn expression made Athela stare at her with a distressed face. She was going to leave like that again? Regardless of her doubts and silence, Toriel kept talking. “If you truly wish to leave the Ruins…I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back... I hope you understand."

 

 

Strange.

 

Those words were the same as before, they were still harsh and sad, but… this time, Athela did not cry. Of course, she felt like crying as soon as she felt Toriel’s hand on her shoulder. It was going to be the same again, and… she couldn’t really cry twice because of the same scene, even less if she lived it so soon after the first time. Poor Athela just stared at Toriel with a sad face. Obviously, leaving her was painful. Leaving without her knowing what was really going on.

 

…

 

Maybe… she could take the chance? Tell her the truth, and prove Flowey wrong.

 

 

“T-Toriel…” Athela started talking, feeling nervousness increase with each second that passed. As the goat lady stared at her, she felt even worse.

 

“Yes, Athela?” She asked, gently.

 

“I…erm…” She didn’t know how to say it. Could she really do it? She gripped her shirt in a vain attempt to calm herself down a bit. “What if… I die out there?”

 

“W-what?” Toriel got alarmed by that. Her face was now panicky. “Don’t... don’t be so pessimistic, Athela. I’m sure you can do it. Sure, it’s a bit dangerous, and maybe some puzzles give you a little trouble, but…”

 

“But what if I know I’m going to die?” Athela had to interrupt. Boy, this was uncomfortable. She was so afraid, it was funny. What was she going to say now…?

 

“… Oh, my child.” The old lady sighed, to Athela’s surprise. “I understand your worry… it’s going into the unknown, after all, and I can’t go with you. But you must be strong if you want to leave this underground.” She caressed her shoulders, smiling. But her warm smile didn’t make Athela feel better.

 

 

Of course, she didn’t believe her.

 

It was clear that would happen, and yet…

 

 

Athela managed to give a crooked smile. The fact that she plain rejected her words instead of asking something like ‘how do you know’ or ‘what do you mean’ made her afraid to say more than that. Sure, she could go deeper into her explanation, but… who would believe her? It was absurd. All of it was absurd.

 

She gave up.

 

 

“You’re… you’re right. I… I will get going now, then…” Athela felt her energy drained. Oh, how insecure she was. The thought of how useless it all was still lingered. Anyway, maybe she would die soon after leaving, again, and then that conversation would have been pointless.

 

 

Then she could try again.

 

 

“Athela…” When seeing the skeleton’s miserable face, Toriel kneeled down and pulled the girl into a big, loving hug. Athela didn’t take long to hug back. That hug made her tear up. Her fear, her loneliness… she didn’t want to leave to die again. But… she had to. She needed to. She wanted to go back home, so it was a must.

 

“Goodbye, Toriel.” Athela’s voice was trembling a bit due to her anxiety.

 

“Goodbye.” Toriel whispered back and got up seconds later. Then, she walked away.

 

 

Athela turned around to see her one last time before leaving again. Their eyes met. And then, Toriel turned her back and disappeared into the corridor.

 

 

Once again, Athela was alone.

 

  
But not for long, she thought as she walked down the purple hallway, the echo of her steps making her grow uneasy with every second that passed. Not for long, for she was about to meet an old friend for a second time.

 

There he was.

 

 

“Golly! I knew it!” Flowey the flower seemed to be in a good mood. “You’re a liar AND a coward!”

 

“… I couldn’t tell her the truth,” the poor skeleton felt really miserable, but Flowey seemed to feed on her distress and sadness. He smiled.

  
“That’s a lie. You certainly can. You’re just afraid to hurt her.” His smile turned smug again; Athela really hated it when it did that.

 

“And is that bad?” She replied, her fists trembling a bit.

 

“Gosh, what do you think, pal? Of course it is!” Flowey had stopped smiling, and now his expression was… sterner. “Don’t you realize… that all this nice good girl shtick is only going to make you miserable? That being kind is only going to get you hurt?”

 

  
He spoke as if he knew that first-hand. Athela looked at him with uncertainty written on her face. It was not good to believe everything that flower said.

 

 

“And why do you care? I bet you’re anxious to see me in distress again.” She said, still bitter about the flower’s attitude. Though she highly doubted she would stop being bitter about it anyway.

 

“True… but it’s rather pathetic, so I’m just trying to make it more interesting.” He sighed and then pouted. “Sadly, it’s not working. You’re a goody-two-shoes.”

 

 

Athela sighed as well. That conversation was pointless. She walked to the door, avoiding getting any closer to Flowey than three meters. He just let her do so. Maybe he was just sick of the Ruins, too, and wanted her to move on.

 

 

“By the way…” He said, seemingly cheering up. “That fall was great. Kudos.”

 

“…” The girl trembled as she touched the icy purple door. That particular death… it was not something she wanted to remember.

 

“It looked like you were truly suffering. Really amusing. Ten out of ten.” Flowey continued his mockery, smiling widely as soon as he saw her mortified expression. “Looks like those flowers are as weak as you are. Interesting.”

 

“… Does the cold kill you as well?” She asked out of pure curiosity. She had had that thought before, and wanted to know the answer. Maybe he would answer.

 

“No.” Flowey answered after thinking for a few seconds. “The main difference between me and a common flower, aside from my cute face… is that I can move. It’s cold, but that’s not going to kill me unless I stay still for hours.”

 

“Is that so…?” Huh. That meant Flowey was going to keep following her forever. Not even ice would stop him.

 

Welp. That was just her fate, of course. She wasn’t even surprised.

 

 

“Why are you asking…?” Flowey smiled; his grin sadistic and cruel. “Are you thinking about killing me?”

 

“What? No!” Athela’s response was automatic and fast. Mostly because she feared Flowey’s reaction to it, and… because she would not kill him even if she could. She was better than that. She would never dare… to take someone else’s life.

 

 

Her fast answer made Flowey’s face turn into an annoyed pout. Seems like he was not pleased with that pacifist answer.

 

 

“Then you really are an idiot.” He said, sternly.

 

 

Then he let out a cynical laugh and buried underground, leaving Athela alone yet again.

 

 

She sighed, feeling worn-out and scared.

 

She didn’t want to leave. She knew she was going to die… maybe the wind would kill her? Or would she fall down again? She was clumsy enough on regular floors, maybe snow would end up being her ultimate doom. Or maybe another puzzle would kill her. And then she would have so many flowers, she’d end up blind, and it would all be over, and…

 

Stop.

 

No, no, that was not going to happen. She was going to do her best. Toriel had said so before… she trusted her. So she was going to do a good job. Or… she was going to try.

 

  
She just had to try. That’s it. It could not be that hard, she thought as she pushed that door for the third time in her life. The snowy background greeted her again with a cold, light wind. Athela took a moment to assess the snowy area, and then the passage she had come from. She remembered now! She had been busy with Toriel’s farewell and her depressing thoughts, but… it was cold up ahead. Maybe she could go up and get some gloves…

 

…

 

Yes, that was definitely a good idea. She should’ve asked for some before, but her bad memory was at fault. Toriel had told her not to come back, but… the girl technically hadn’t left the Ruins yet, sooo…

 

She just hoped Toriel would not get sadder because of her.

The skeleton closed the door in front of her and took some steps backwards, still feeling uneasy. Every time she made a decision she felt like that, like she had messed up. So now it was just a constant feeling that made her feel awful all the time. Maybe one day she would get used to it.

 

 

“And where are you going now~?” A familiar voice startled Athela just when she was starting to trace her steps back to the house. She let out an alarmed squeal and turned back to see a smiling golden flower standing back on his grassy spot. “Don’t tell me… you’re going to tell Toriel about your sins?”

 

“Ah… n-no… I…” Breathe in and out, Athela. Gosh, why did that bud always want to scare her? “I was just going to ask Toriel if she could lend me some gloves… because… it’s cold…”

 

“Oh, so you’re cheating.” The smug smile was back.

 

“I-it’s not cheating! I just want to stay alive…”

 

“By cheating.”

 

“But why is it cheating?” Athela pouted, feeling like Flowey was tricking her again.

 

“Well, you already have the flowers equipped.” He said, smiling cryptically.

 

“… What?” The young monster raised an eyebrow, not sure about what he meant. Was he mocking her flower curse again? That sounded accurate: flower curse. Huh. She would start calling it that from then on.

 

“Er… Never mind,” this one time, the flower’s laugh was uncomfortable. That made Athela feel even more confused. What was he talking about? Guess she would never know. He kept talking after a small moment of raw silence. “I mean, you’re not supposed to go back. She told you not to. Maybe she’s not in the house anymore because she went to take a walk. Do you know how much time you would waste looking for her?” Flowey smiled innocently, pretending that he cared about Athela losing time. But she was sure that the only one who didn’t want to wait was him.

 

…

 

Maybe going back was not a good idea after all… she knew what Flowey liked to do when he was bored… Athela looked at the ground, nervous. She didn’t know what to do. Which was the correct answer?

 

 

“Don’t worry. Your good friend Flowey can help you!” The skeleton looked up again once she heard that. A skeptical look was plastered across her face.

 

“What do you mean…?” She didn’t trust him at all. What was he up to this time?

 

“Just for you.” He winked and stuck his tongue out, a thing he apparently liked to do a lot just to tease her. “You won’t waste a single second!” A small laugh… that didn’t sound really enticing. She still asked.

 

“And you’ll do so because…?” Uncertainty lingered in her voice.

 

“Golly, because we’re best friends! Why else?” Another wink. Another repressed thought from the poor skeleton, who just wanted to yell at the flower at that point. “You see, if I kill you now, you won’t waste any time! Ain’t that easy, chum?”

 

“No thanks!!” And so, Athela ran to the cold door again. Of course that would be his idea. Of course. Why did she even wonder what he wanted?? The golden flower chuckled at her reaction, as he usually did.

 

“Boy, what a quick answer,” he said, smiling widely.

 

“I get it, you don’t want me to go back. Okay. I’ll get out and die there so I can go back and ask Toriel for some gloves,” she pushed the door again with all the strength she had, and the door opened.

 

“Aw, what? You mean you prefer to die to the cold than to me? You’re breaking my heart…” Flowey faked a sad expression as he leant his body on the floor, as if he were a wilted flower. Athela sighed.

 

 

She doubted Flowey had a heart.

 

 

 

No more words were said, and once the young lady took a few steps into the ice-cold forest, Flowey chuckled again and buried underground. Then, the sound of the heavy door closing on its own slightly reverberated through the woods, making Athela shiver.

 

 

Here we are.

 

This time, she was prepared. As no one was there last time she walked through the woods, Athela focused her gaze on the floor. She didn’t want to trip again… what could it be? The thing that she tripped over last time. The floor seemed devoid of rocks or vines of any kind, and she refused to believe she tripped over her own feet. As she walked, the answer to her question appeared before her eyes.

 

A stick.

 

A really big one, moreover. It looked really tough and heavy, so she had no business picking it up. However, she thought that it was a nuisance to have such a thing in the middle of the road. Someone else could trip, like she did. So she grabbed one of its edges and dragged it out of the way –just to be safe.

 

  
“I can’t believe I tripped over that.” She sighed as she eyed the mighty branch, so innocent-looking and yet, so very powerful. How could she NOT see that thing before?

 

 

But there was not much else to say about it, so the skeleton kept walking. The wind was getting stronger… could it be possible for a storm to form inside a mountain? Was it big enough to possess micro-climates? Or was it just air coming from the surface? The answer was unknown, and Athela wasn’t smart enough to form a theory about it anyway. So she just kept walking, hoping to find a town, or something, so she could find some shelter.

 

As expected, the road was really lengthy. At least the Ruins were cozy… each second she passed there she felt colder. And to add bad things to the pile… her right eye wasn’t really… working. She could still see, but… it was so difficult. It made her feel… scared.

 

 

Before she could freak out too much, however, she found a bridge. It had some… bars. Randomly placed across it, as if they were some kind of gate. They were too wide to stop anyone from getting through, tough. What was the deal with that?

 

Athela sighed, feeling insecure about crossing. The bridge looked safe enough, but… what if it was another puzzle?

 

…

 

It probably wasn’t, right?

 

She stared at the abyss below the wooden passage. It looked like a great fall. She shivered, imagining how bad it would be If she tripped and fell. But that would not happen, right?

 

 

…

 

 

!

 

 

Suddenly, Athela turned around, alerted by some strange sound behind her. Was someone there? Grasping her shirt and her eyes slightly shining out of fear, she checked the path… but no one was there.

 

Not even a single footprint. Only hers lied on the snow.

 

Strange.

 

She had been sure… maybe she was just being a little bit paranoid. She had felt like someone was watching her the second she set foot in that strange forest. But it was probably just a delusion. No one was there.

 

 

  
“What am I doing…?” Athela sighed, tired, and shook her head. She was going to start walking again so she could cross that bridge, but stopped right in her tracks after realizing that… she felt better. Not mentally, but… physically better. Warmer. Why?

 

 

Could it be that her glowing eyes made the flowers feel better about the cold? If that was true… that would be great! She wouldn’t have to worry about the cold so much anymore!

  
She tried to confirm it by making them glow more. And it worked. It felt warm and cozy… and funny thing, now her eyes were steaming a bit. She looked like a teapot with two holes. She giggled and touched the blue-colored fog; it felt warm too. Amusing.

 

 

So that’s how she could avoid freezing to death… or at least attempt to. That was great! If only she had known this before… but well, maybe that would’ve not worked when her eye sockets were covered in frost. She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to know.

 

But now she knew a new fact about her magic. It was warm and nice.

 

 

Feeling better about her general state of affairs, she kept walking. The bridge turned out to be harmless, to her delight. And not long after crossing it, she found… something interesting.

 

 

A strangely shaped lamp, lying alone on the snow. It had no light bulb. What was its purpose? She didn’t know. But there was also something that looked like… some kind of checkpoint, or sentry station. There was no one there, but after examining it the skeleton found bottles of ketchup, mustard and relish sitting inside.

 

Some of the containers were even open… surely someone must’ve been there not long ago. But now, no one was there. Curious. Well, she had no business raiding someone’s station, so Athela kept walking. The trees were now lower, and greener… it was nice. She could also hear streaming water nearby… the young lady wondered. Where did that sound come from?

 

 

“Oh!!” Her train of thought was immediately stopped when she saw it. Her warm, although painful savior. The yellow glinting light of a save point could be seen, standing atop the pristine snow. Glowing as if it were calling for her. Athela let out a relieved sigh and ran to it, ready to save her progress.

 

 

She stopped right in front of it, with a dubious look on her face.

 

  
Should she do it?

 

 

Maybe saving was a bad idea… she could still go back to Toriel and ask for those gloves. But that would imply dying… and she didn’t want to die. In fact, if she could avoid it, she would do it. Staying alive was the best. And since now she had her magic to warm her up…

 

Perhaps it was not worth the risk.

 

 

She definitely could get through that icy forest alone, couldn’t she? Toriel’s trust on her was pumping her up, and a determined feeling coursed through her bones. Yes, she could do it.

 

 

“Ouch.” Athela led one hand to her head as she felt the usual swift pain. She hissed, and then shook her skull. She felt the flowers moving so she regretted it immediately afterwards.

 

 

Her progress had been saved.

 

 

There was no turning back now, the skeleton thought as she took a deep breath. She could not go back to the Ruins. She would need to toughen up and face whatever was coming to her, because she was not going to get any help.

 

 

With that in mind, she started walking again, following the path ahead.

 

 

 

She didn’t hear the mischievous laugh that came from behind the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **Athela - LV 1**  
 **Snowdin – Box Road**  
**Nº Resets: 28**


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 13 – The promise**

Snowdin Forest was as quiet as usual. The faint, soporific light that shone through the trees, the comfy-looking snow… Yup, it was another nice day.

  
Another day of probably doing nothing special.

 

Anyway, leaving that aside… hunger was beginning to set in. Bones would itch for too long if no food was given to them. The mysterious and magic mystery of starvation, indeed. Wait, mysterious and mystery in the same sentence? That could’ve been way better. What a **_mys-ery_**.

  
Heh. That one was also bad. Time to git gud, probably. Maybe the lack of food was to blame?

 

Oh, anyway. As soon as the first hungry roar sounded, the answer was clear. Staying at that checkpoint would do nothing. After all, no one was there, and no one would be there anytime soon. Better to just scram and get something to munch on, like a burger. No one would notice if it was just for a little while.

 

 

The air quickly shifted as the skeleton pondered, his destination clear in his mind. And after a short second, new snow was under his feet and other trees surrounded him. There it was, the place he needed. His affixed smile seemed to widen as he pushed the door and set foot inside.

  
Finally, he thought. He had been **_dying_** to get there.

 

Familiar faces turned to him as he walked through the bar, directly to his favorite spot at the counter. Of course, the few people that were there at that hour smiled and greeted him, as usual.

 

“Hey, Sans!” A horse-like monster lifted a hoof to greet him, and the short skeleton smiled and lifted a gloved hand back.

“Hiya, Sansy~!” The bunny from the nearest table was smiling at him, maybe a little too much. Seems like he had been having too much fun again. Welp, Sans was no party pooper. Just leave them be.

 

He jumped to the first seat he saw, and let his bony butt rest there. The bird-like creature that was now sitting next to him smiled, curious.

 

“Hi, Sans. We expected you to be here much earlier,” he said, cocking his head to one side. Sans smiled as well.

“welp. i would’ve come earlier, but that car magazine was too interesting. i couldn’t help but **_car-fully_** read every single word,” he replied, giving a playful wink shortly after the pun was delivered. While he did that he also looked at an imaginary camera, as if he were on a live show. He could almost hear the drum beats.

 

Everyone laughed. As they always did, of course. Sans was a really **_punny_** guy, after all. Even if his brother could not stand his puns, apparently most people liked them.

 

What a great populace. Sans laughed a bit to himself too and then turned to the barman, the **hottest** guy in town. Maybe because he was actually made of fire? Who knows? He was the only one that didn’t laugh, but… that was just Grillby.

 

“sup, grillbz.” Sans greeted his old friend with a lazy hand wave and then let the upper part of his body rest upon the counter. Man, everything felt really heavy that day… he hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately. Maybe fifteen more minutes before waking up… that would be good. But leaving that aside –he would sleep later, probably – the reason why he came there was not just to say hi to everyone, so he placed his order right away. “gimme the usual.”

 

  
No need to say it twice; the orange flame man nodded and went straight into the kitchen to prepare one of those nasty burgers Sans liked so much. The other monsters didn’t understand why he knew so much about food and yet, he ordered the worst of it. Not like they cared that much anyway. Let **bybones be bybones** , as the skeleton would say.

  
Sans tapped his bony fingers against the wooden counter as he waited for Grillby. His mind, as always, was wondering someplace else. Did he leave the back door open? Was the tornado trash off, or did he leave it on? And most importantly… where was his ketchup bottle? He searched his pockets looking for it, but he couldn’t find it.

Usually, he always carried some of those with him, so it was no problem, but that one was already open… maybe he left it at his stand? What a shame.

Welp, that’s what Grillby’s ketchup bottles are here for, he thought.

 

A sudden noise woke him up from his daydreaming.

 

“oh hey, thanks,” the skeleton smiled when he saw that Grillby was back with his burger. A feeling of uneasiness hit him when he saw that his friend was looking at him… weirdly. One fire eyebrow lifted, and his mouth curled in an ambiguous frown.

“…” He wasn’t a man of many words, but clearly he seemed concerned about something.

“what’s up, man? **Left the stove on?** ” Sans tried to escape that situation with a wink and a pun, but it didn’t work. The stare remained unmovable.

 

Grillby’s… “interpreter”, the bird man, decided to speak for him. The winged monster usually made up whatever he thought the fire monster was thinking, but sometimes he got it right. That was one of those days.

 

“He’s probably wondering why you’re coming here less than usual lately.”

 

There it was, the bitter truth.

 

“oh. well, it’s no big d,” the male skeleton tried to brush it off. “been busy, ya know.”

 

Now Grillby crossed his arms. He didn’t look convinced at all. Oops. He knew Sans well enough to know that he did not have that much work. Or, well… maybe he had, but that wasn’t a reason for him to not go there on his breaks. And he had many, many breaks. Usually self-imposed. So if he said he had “work”… maybe something was up?

 

But what a pain, anyway. Sans wasn’t there to be interrogated… he didn’t want to talk about work. And he had yet to work more.  With a tired sigh, Sans just shrugged and decided to attack his burger, swallowing it in a few seconds, for the amazement of the people that stood close to him.

 

“sorry, gotta go. papyrus will yell at me if i don’t work at least a bit today.” And with that, he jumped off the chair. Successfully eluding Grillby’s questions, who had already given up on trying to get anything form him. He was still crossing his arms, but he was now sighing, with a concerned frown. Sans didn’t really like that… so he tried to reassure his friend at least a bit. “hey, listen. don’t worry. it really is work, alright? i’ve been working myself **_down to the bone_** lately, believe me.”

 

More laughs.

  
Grillby didn’t look really convinced, but he just let it go. Maybe it was nothing serious. He would trust Sans on that one.

And in fact, the skeleton was not lying… he had been really busy lately. He couldn’t tell Grillbz about it, anyway… he couldn’t tell anybody.

 

Nobody shall know.

 

Sans walked to the door again, not bothering to say bye. He would be back soon anyway, there was no point in farewells. Instead, he was thinking of getting back home for some more investigating. He had been getting really interesting readings lately…

 

But alas, it was not meant to be. His real work was calling. Or… more like someone in particular was.

 

“SANS!!” The short monster lifted his head, alerted by the sudden yelling. To his inconvenience, it was no other than his magnificent brother. His red cape waving with the soft breeze, and his battle body shining as usual. How cool.

“sup, bro,” he said, knowing perfectly what was ‘up’. But he liked to feign ignorance, because that would usually make his little bro angry. It was fun.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘UP’, YOU LAZYBONES!!” Yup. Exactly what he thought. “YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR STATION AGAIN!! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?? I THOUGHT YOU WERE AT YOUR POST!!”

“i was. but i came for a break,” Sans shrugged. He wouldn’t mention that was his third break of the day. Papyrus didn’t need to know everything, after all.

“YOU’RE ALWAYS TAKING BREAKS… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU? AT THIS RATE I’LL NEVER GET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD!!” Poor Papyrus was too busy feeling sorry about himself to prevent what was coming.

“don’t worry bro. keep your **guard** up, i’m sure the chance will come someday,” the small skeleton made special emphasis in the word ‘guard’ so Papyrus would notice the pun even more. Papyrus’ expression shifted from a grateful smile to a bitter frown when he realized.

“OH MY GOD SANS. PLEASE STOP YOUR PUNS AND GO TO WORK!!” The tall monster took a deep breath and started walking away, seemingly defeated… but no! Nothing defeats the great Papyrus! He turned around midway and pointed to his old brother, with a severe look in his eye sockets. “AND DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT BOONDOGGLING AROUND, I’LL BE WATCHING YOU!!

“sure thing, paps. i’ll keep **an eyesocket** on the place for ya.” Sans was smiling, knowing that he would indeed be watching. Welp, maybe he could get to his ‘hobby’ later. Maybe. Since it was his brother, he didn’t mind it that much.

 

Papyrus grumbled and then nodded, relatively pleased. He was not really convinced, but still. He would be watching him for real. That morning, he hadn’t been lucky in his human-catching quest, but soon… soon!

 

“I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES!! TODAY HAS TO BE THE DAY… TODAY, I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!! NYEHEHEHE!!” The monster walked away towards Waterfall as he yelled, attracting many curious looks. He was making quite a ruckus after all. But of course, he didn’t care at all. There was a report to hand to Undyne, and she would be so impressed once she heard about his very productive day! Nothing had happened at all! Nice job, Papyrus!

 

Sans imagined the whole situation in his head as he turned to Snowdin Forest. He snickered. Man, his bro was always so excited about everything. He hadn’t even been able to catch any human that morning – or ever –but he kept his spirits high and he never gave up. He was so hopeful and happy all the time. How cool.

 

Welp. Time to get back to work. Sans walked to the gigantic tree that was in the middle of the town and took one of his “shortcuts” again. Of course, he was not going to walk all the way back. That would be too much work. It just took a flash of blue light, and he soon was at the very beginning of Snowdin forest.

 

“oops. seems like i stretched it too far,” the skeleton laughed softly when he was he was right at the mysterious door. Too close to the beginning of the forest. It wasn’t knock-knock time yet, was it?

 

It had been some time. One day, he was practicing knock-knock jokes at that same door, because… it was such a huge door, what a waste if he didn’t practice his knock-knock jokes on it. And one day, what sounded like an old lady answered him from the other side. She was a great audience, and almost as good with puns as him. He had so much fun, he came back there every day. Not like she was always there, but…he didn’t have anything better to do, anyway.

 

What?

Work?

Nah.

 

Smiling as always, Sans approached the door and gave it a little knock. Then waited.

 

…

  
No response. Huh. Okay. Maybe it was too soon. Or maybe it was too late? What time was it, again? Afternoon… maybe it was indeed too late. Welp then, he was doomed to go back to his stand and suffer boredom once again.

 

As he walked, he remembered... the old lady didn’t sound really happy the other day. He had been telling jokes as usual, and she wasn’t really responding as she always did. She seemed glummer than she normally did. Once he asked what was wrong, she…

 

_“Oh. So you noticed.”_

_“_ _welp, it’s my job to assess the crowd. **in-crowdible** , right?_ _”_

_“Hehe…well, you caught me. The truth is… I have a guest.”_

_“_ _oh, that’s cool. why is that a bad thing, tho? you sound sad._ _”_

_“You see…”_

 

And then she told him. How a young skeleton lady had visited her. She didn’t give him many details, she just mentioned that they were a really bright and smart girl. Curious, pretty… but that she wanted to go home. And the young monster’s home was not with her. She didn’t want to, but she had to let her go. It was the right thing to do.

  
Sans didn’t know there were skeletons in the Ruins. Interesting.

 

He kept walking down the snowy path as he reminisced about the conversation. Not really paying attention to his surroundings, as usual. He could just teleport back, but nah, he didn’t feel like it anymore. And it wasn’t that far anyway, he could just walk.

 

But then, something caught his attention, making him stroll away from his thoughts.

 A glimmer of gold in the snow. The skeleton looked at the trail ahead, confused, but he saw nothing. Strange… he frowned as he scratched his bony head. He would’ve sworn that he had seen…

Walking slightly further, Sans checked the snow for any signs of golden stuff. Like a necklace, a book, or whatever that could be golden or yellow-ish. But of course, he found nothing. Maybe it had just been his imagination. Was he too tired? Was he seeing things?

  
Whatever. It surely wasn’t that important anyway.

 

As he checked the snow, he saw a really big branch that had been tossed aside the road. The usual big branch that he didn’t want to move because it looked heavy. Had that thing always been there, on the side of the way? He surely didn’t move it…

  
Maybe Papyrus had. After all, his brother was the coolest. He smirked as he resumed his walking, giving up on the golden thing already. It just wasn’t there, man. Who cared?

 

And maybe because he had been thinking about it just a few seconds ago, his mind wandered back to his conversation with the old monster. Right after she told him about the skeleton girl… whose name he didn’t know. He didn’t ask. Oops.

 

_“Could I ask you a favor, please?” The old lady’s voice was still clear in his mind._

_“_ _maybe. depends on what it is._ _” He had replied with his usual careless tone. He wasn’t a man of favors and promises. It was a bother, and he couldn’t usually fulfill them._

_“She… she will be leaving soon. Could you please keep an eye on her?” Sans remembered how he had lifted an eyebrow as the old monster quickly continued. “Oh, I know you are busy, and she is old enough to take care of herself, I guess, but… I am still worried. She looks so helpless sometimes…”_

_“_ _huh._ _” Sans wasn’t sure on how to feel about that._

_“I am not asking you to watch her all the time. Maybe just… just for a bit. I would only like to see how she is doing out there, that’s all.” Her voice was begging._

 

Oh, there it was! His ketchup bottle! Sans reached for it and shook it a tad. Then, after checking it was still not empty, he gave it a sip.

 

That old lady… she had the same love for puns as he did. It was a kind of integrity he couldn’t really say no to. She was just worried, after all. He could keep an **eye socket** out for that girl, whoever she was. Not like he knew how she looked, but he would probably know as soon as he saw her. There weren’t any skeletons in Snowdin aside from him and his brother, after all. It would not be that hard. Just watching.

 

The short skeleton was cleaning his mouth with his sleeve as he thought so, but then he noticed something interesting.

 

Footsteps.

 

There were some footsteps around his station.

 

How curious… he didn’t notice those before; maybe he mistook them with his own, because they was also a small shoeprints. But… if he looked closely, they were too small. And that was not what his shoe looked like. Huh, so someone paid a visit to his checkpoint. Sans wondered who could’ve been…

 

…

 

No, wait. Tracing the footsteps, they came from… the Ruins.

 

“interesting… i didn’t expect ya to come out this soon.” Sans muttered, having a quite clear idea of who those prints belonged to. Indeed, the way they surrounded his checkpoint, and the lamp… it matched what the old lady said about a certain curious girl. He sighed and put the ketchup bottle back to where it truly belonged, inside his jacket. So now he had to look for her or something?

 

What a bother.

 

Better not.

 

He never said he would check on her RIGHT AWAY, after all. He was tired and just wanted to sit down and read more of his car magazine. There were some hella cool cars that Papyrus would surely love to check out, someday.

 

So he did just that. He slowly walked to his station and sad down. He took a moment to look at the footprints once again before shrugging and muttering a lazy “nah”. It didn’t matter anyway. He searched for the worn slick and stared at the car on the first page. Maybe he could get a motorbike or something… it would be cool.

 

As if that was gonna happen.

 

Submerged in his reading now, the skeleton didn’t even hear the distant screaming that could be heard far away in the woods.

 

 

 

**Sans – 11 Puns**   
**Snowdin – Entrance**   
**Ketchup bottles: 6**


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 14 – The missed call**

 

 

 

Athela sighed while covering her right eye with her bony hands, trying to protect the flowers from the bitter cold. It was more of an annoyed sigh, actually, since she was just… kinda fed up with her actual situation.

 

She thought things would be different once she got out of the Ruins. Maybe she would find smarter monsters who would help her if she needed it. Perhaps things would be easier. But no, of course not. Instead, she got an awful icy breeze and angry teenagers.

 

Just what was that guy’s deal?

 

 

She faked a smile as she waved goodbye with her free hand. The young bird-monster waved back with a not-so fake grin, and left her alone after what the skeleton thought it had been a whole eternity.

 

Once she lost sight of him, she sighed again.

 

 

She had died twice to that monster. She would by now think “what a bother”, or something similar, but it was not that easy. Poor Athela now had two more flowers struggling to get out of her right eye, and as cringey as that could feel, she had to endure it.

 

What was worse is that she couldn’t see with that eye anymore.

 

 

Athela had a horrible freak-out moment once she re-spawned near the save-point; as soon as she realized she couldn’t see anymore, she felt like crying and yelling and breaking something. But there was nothing to break, so she just resorted to screaming. Those cries brought the attention of… Snowdrake was his name? That kid. And because of her meltdown, he felt bad about her and didn’t make her go through his confusing, confusing battle.

 

Because Athela didn’t understand what was that she needed to do to make him happy. Or just to make him go away… He always started with a strange sentence, and got mad immediately after she did something. Then, he had a temper tantrum and threw what looked like magic snowballs at her. And those hurt a lot. Too much, in fact.

 

What did “macaroni and freeze” mean, anyway?

 

 

Another tired sigh. At least he was not evil; she could guess as much. He just looked angry, and sad. He surely didn’t mean to hit that hard, she managed to catch a glimpse of his face the first time she died, and he was terrified to say the least. Of course, she couldn’t blame him; nobody would expect someone to die after getting hit by a few snowballs, right?

 

Well, her flowers disagreed.

 

The skeleton checked her HP. She didn’t even fight, and she had just saved, but she felt weak anyway. So she checked, just to make sure she was alright.

 

She wasn’t.

 

 

“Fourteen…” Sighing yet again, she tried saving again. Maybe that would restore her HP.

 

 

She approached the glimmering light, thinking about pollen and sunshine. The glowing star-like object reminded her of the outside world, somehow. And that made her feel resolute. She would get out of that place, yes she would. Just wait and see.

 

Athela closed her eyes even before the pain came, she just expected it by now. There it was, the sharp, small flash of pain. As it was usual now. After it calmed down, the young monster checked her HP again.

 

Still at fourteen.

 

 

“… Sigh.” It was sighing day, apparently. But she just didn’t feel like doing anything else. Everything was so wearing. Why didn’t her HP go up anymore? Was it because of the flowers? Did the curse do that to her too?

 

 

She didn’t care anymore.

 

Well, she cared, of course she cared. But… it just wasn’t surprising anymore. What else could even happen? She was just deciding to ignore that growing uneasiness inside of her because she didn’t want to go crazy, and that was all. If she wanted to stay sane and get out of that hellish mountain, she needed to be positive.

 

 

So what if she couldn’t see with her right eye anymore? At least she had another one, right?

 

Exactly.

 

 

Athela looked at the save point again, and her eye wandered to the path which she had come from. The Ruins didn't look so bad _now_ , did they? But going back was useless. The door was closed anyway. And no one was there.

 

She should just keep on going.

 

 

She was cold, so she slid her hands to her pockets. There, she stumbled upon something. Oh, the phone Toriel gave her. Of course, she still had it… she took it out and looked at it with a sad expression on her face. She missed Toriel so much. What if…?

 

…

 

She started dialing.

 

 

She could remember Toriel’s number by now. The phone made its funny sounds and then emitted that beep that indicated that it was indeed calling the other person. Athela waited for Toriel to pick up, as she usually did.

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

…?

 

 

  
“She’s not picking up...” Athela muttered. Toriel wasn’t picking up. Why? Did that dog steal her phone again? Or… was she mad at her? Did she forget her phone at her house? Did she have an accident? Well, she looked too strong to have a problem with another monster, and Flowey was with her at the moment, so… maybe… maybe she was sleeping. Surely that was it. Why wouldn’t she pick up if not?

 

  
Athela started feeling nervous. Her optimism was fading away, as sadness replaced it. She just wanted to hear Toriel’s voice… of course, life would not let her do what she wanted, huh?

 

Resigned to her awful fate, she just put her phone back in her pocket and started walking again, head down. She didn’t feel like looking up anyway. How gloomy…

 

  
She saw a box with a sign, but she didn’t feel like reading it either. It was just a box anyway. She would’ve usually checked it out, but… she was still thinking about Toriel. As she did that, she kept heading straight. To… wherever she was going, she didn’t know.

 

However, after some self-depreciation, she had to go back. It was not like her, ignoring something instead of checking it out.  But despite everything, it was still her, so…

 

 

First she read the sign, hoping it would give away some information about her surroundings, or about the box itself.

 

 

“This is a box.” She started reading out loud. “You can put an item inside or leave an item out. The same box will appear later, so don’t worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover.”

 

How nice. Whoever wrote that sign must be really, really nice. At least, they sounded nice, and Athela liked that; it lifted her spirits a bit. She didn’t understand what “the same box will appear later” meant, but that was not important. Or… well, she hoped so.

 

She then proceeded to open the box itself. It wasn’t locked, so the lid slid up with no difficulty. Inside, she found a single grey glove. It looked like it would be perfect for five-fingered folks. And she had five fingers!! Excited about her new discovery, she took it and tried to put it on. It was just one glove, but certainly it would do its job of keeping her hand warm…?

 

 

…

 

…

 

 

It didn’t fit her.

 

  
“Are you serious?” Athela complained as she tried to push her hand inside the glove, but to no avail. Her hand was too big. She grumbled. Of course. That was just her luck. If she found some clothes, they had to be child-sized. Yes. Just like the clothes she found at Toriel’s house, none was bound to fit her.

 

  
Still sighing, she left the glove back in the box. Who knows, maybe someone would need that glove later. Maybe.

 

Then, she closed the box and resumed walking.

 

She could almost hear Flowey laughing at her. Not that she could actually hear the little weed, but she was SURE he was laughing. It was funny to her, too, in a sour way, so the skeleton was certain he would find it hilarious.

 

 

Athela was going to continue forward, but she heard streaming water nearby, so she decided to follow the noise. Heading north, she took a short path that led her to a river. Water streaming in such a frozen, white place… how beautiful. Smiling, she approached its shore and bent down to touch the water.

 

 

“Freezing!” She squealed upon touch, and immediately took her hand out. Despite the cold, she was smiling. It was just cold water, it was fine. And it wasn’t technically freezing; if it was, it would be ice.

 

 

It was nice, touching water. Athela felt as if it had been an eternity since the last time she touched actual water, too. She remembered the mountain’s river, and how she used to have lunch next to it. Usually with her mother…

 

Her expression became sad again. She missed those times…

 

 

“… Huh?” Amidst her sadness, she noticed a fishing rod next to her. It was affixed to the ground… maybe a fish was on the hook? There was no one around to stop her, and the young lady really wanted to check it out, so she just… reeled it in. But all that was attached to its end was a photo of a weird-looking monster. “Call me! Here’s my number!” She read it out loud.

 

 

…

 

 

Athela decided not to call.

 

She sent the line back out.

 

 

She could’ve called, but… no. No, thank you. She had had her share of weird monsters. She didn’t even know if that one was friendly, and… if she wanted to call someone, well, Toriel would not answer, but… she still had her phone buddy!

 

…

 

Who, she just remembered, hadn’t called in a while. Well, she usually called first… but she forgot to call at some point. Maybe… maybe she should call again, to tell him where she was, and what she had done. Perhaps he would be interested? After all, he was a really nice guy.  She felt regret build up once she remembered their last conversation… she said she would call back later, but… apparently, her multiple deaths and all those puzzles distracted her. She should definitely call now!!

 

She smiled and got her phone out again. Not like she remembered his number, but it was stored anyway, so she could call him anytime. So she did just that. As she dialed, she felt slightly nervous. What if he didn’t remember her? Wait, no, he HAD to. They talked twice, didn’t they? She had faith in it… because… if he didn’t remember… that would be really sad. She cursed her forgetful mind as she listened to the call tune.

 

She waited…

 

“…SECOND, UNDYNE, I THINK I RECOGNIZE THIS NUMBER,” she heard a familiar voice at the other end of the line, and what she heard made her smile widely. He recognized the number! That meant he remembered her!

 

“Hello?” She called, her smiling only widening. Funny how you don’t even mind the cold when you’re really excited for something.

“IT’S YOU AGAIN! HELLO!” The already recognizable high-pitched voice greeted the young skeleton. “IT’S BEEN A WHILE!”

“Y-yes it has! I’m sorry for not calling sooner, I was… busy, and… Well, I…” Athela tried to excuse herself while she also attempted to calm down a bit. Her mind was racing and it was difficult for her to talk.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PHONE PROBLEMS? IF YOU CALL SOMEONE AND HEAR A LADY’S VOICE SAYING “LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE”, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE.”

“What the heck, dude?” Surprise. Athela could hear a lady’s voice at the other side! Seems like he had company…

“OH, THIS IS THE PERSON I TOLD YOU ABOUT! SHE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HER PHONE, AND I GLADLY AGREED TO HELP!” He sounded proud. Athela couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiastic tone… but… wait…

 

Phone… problems?

 

“Don’t sound so proud about that.” Whoever that lady was didn’t seem impressed. But her annoyed statement was ignored.

“HEY! HOW DID IT GO? DID YOU MANAGE TO CALL THAT IMPORTANT PERSON?” He asked, sounding impatient. “I GUESS YOU DID, BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T CALL AGAIN FOR ALMOST FOUR DAYS, SO…!”

“I… Didn’t…?” How strange. She was sure they talked at least twice. Didn’t he… remember?

“NOT REALLY! I WAS WORRIED! I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU!” He started; Athela could feel his concern, his distress. Fortunately, he cheered up soon. “BUT IT’S A GOOD THING YOU’RE CALLING AGAIN! GLAD TO SEE YOU’RE FINE, FRIEND!”

“Oh?” She felt flattered, her cheeks burned up slightly with that. Knowing that someone cared about her, even if it was just a bit… it felt nice. But she was still confused. “N-no, I’m fine, I just… I…”

 

Wait.

Did she even save after she called…?

 

“…Of course,” she sighed, cursing her own stupidity. They had such a nice talk, and she didn’t even save it. They talked, then she died, so the call was erased forever. Stupid Athela, stupid, stupid, stupid!! It had been such a nice call… of course he didn’t remember, now.

 

What a shame, really. But there was nothing she could do about it anymore.

 

“OF COURSE? OF COURSE WHAT?” The guy probably didn’t understand her groaning. Athela quickly dismissed what she just muttered and smiled, pretending everything was fine.

“I mean… of course I’m fine! And I managed to call that important person immediately, all thanks to you!” Well, since she messed up the whole thing, she might as well praise him double. She also felt like she owed him, since… he really gave her the push she needed, back then. “Thanks a lot. I mean it.”

“WOWIE! I’M BEING HIGHLY PRAISED! UNDYNE, SEE? I’M HELPFUL!” He sounded so joyful. Athela giggled, happy to make him happy.

“Never said you weren’t, you punk,” the unknown lady, presumably called Undyne, sighed. Athela had trouble making out what she was saying, since her voice sounded muffled. Probably because of the distance…

“THANK YOU, FRIEND! AND REMEMBER, IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH A PUZZLE, JUST CALL ME! MAYBE IT’S BAD IF I SAY SO MYSELF, BUT I’M A PUZZLE EXPERT, YOU SEE?” He responded with an even more enthused voice. Athela could hear someone saying something that sounded like “dork”, but she wasn’t sure.

“Oh! Well, actually… I’m in Snowdin? The forest…” She saw the chance. She asked. “It’s cold, and… are there any puzzles in here?” Truly, she was concerned about her well-being. Asking her friend about puzzles didn’t seem like a bad idea, so she just did it.

“WAIT, ARE YOU IN SNOWDIN?? WOWIE!!” Athela was taken aback slightly by the sudden yelling. Well, not like the guy’s voice was low in the first place, but… he raised his tone a bit. He looked happy. “THAT’S GREAT!! MAYBE WE CAN MEET AND… I CAN SHOW YOU AROUND!” So enthusiastic. He sounded as happy as a child who had just been given a huge candy bar. It was contagious! Athela couldn’t help but smile and do a little excited hopping.

“That would be great!” She replied, as keen as him. Maybe even more, since the chance to meet someone that would really help her for a chance was… certainly great. “I’d love to!”

“PERFECT! SADLY, I’M NOT IN TOWN AT THE MOMENT…” he then whispered to the phone, secretively. “I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION, YOU SEE. SO MAYBE WE CAN MEET LATER.”

“Oh! I understand,” she whispered back. So he was on a mission. That was… really cool. Somehow it sounded like a movie. Athela didn’t want to bother him in the slightest.

“BUT LEAVING THAT ASIDE, I SHOULD ANSWER YOUR QUESTION!” And so, he went back to the original topic. ”YOU SEE, SNOWDIN HAS MANY PUZZLES!! GREAT PUZZLES CRAFTED BY ME!!” He seemed proud to announce that, somehow. Maybe if he had created the puzzles, they would not be so bad? Athela held onto that hope. “OH, NOTHING REALLY DANGEROUS, OF COURSE. SOME SLIDING PUZZLES, SOME SPIKES… NOTHING TO REALLY WORRY ABOUT!”

“W-wait, spikes?” Oops. Somehow that didn’t sound really pleasing…

“Hey, leave the phone already! We were having a meeting here, punk!” The woman that was with the phone guy seemed pissed. Indeed, they had been talking for a while now, but… but the spikes?? What was that about? Athela wanted to know!!

“RIGHT. SORRY, I’LL CALL YOU LATER, IS THAT OKAY?”

 

Oh no.

 

“B-but…” Athela felt nervous. Guess she would have to see it for herself? She wasn’t confident, but… she didn’t want to be a bother anymore. So she just nodded, slowly. “Er… fine. Okay. We can talk later.”

“EXCELLENT!! IT WAS GREAT, TALKING TO YOU AGAIN!! ALMOST AS GREAT AS I, THE GR-“

“Ngaaah!! Quit it already!!” Following the annoyed yelling, a wimpy scream resonated through the phone. Athela did not know what to think about it…

“PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!!” Pained screams, a wicked, playful-sounding laugh and then… the beeping of the phone that announced the call had ended.

 

Athela stood on her same spot, speechless. What just happened…?

 

Wait.

 

Did he say “don’t noogie the skeleton?”

 

That meant… maybe he was a skeleton too?? Athela’s eye sparkled with excitement with the sole thought of it. Finding monsters was cool, but… another skeleton!! How lucky she was! Just because of a small phone fiddling, she ended calling another of her kind?

…

Well, that was just a theory. An Athela theory.

  
But nonetheless, it seemed like it was true!! She would just have to wait and see for herself!

 

Feeling happy, the young monster put her phone back in her pocket and started walking again, heading east. Or… north. She didn’t even know anymore. Forward. Always forward.

 

“Wait wait wait wait!!” She stopped herself in the middle of her pacing and started walking backwards… right to the save point again. She giggled nervously. “Better save this just in case…”

 

Of course, she didn’t want that conversation to be erased. So she saved. Plus, she didn’t trust the world anymore. Another reason to save.

 

It was a real mystery, how she managed to stay alive back in the surface.

 

…

 

Mother really knows best, huh?

 

Athela smiled slightly after feeling the usual sting on her skull. It was done. Now life could not take that conversation from her again. Also, the memory of her mother helped the skeleton in her intents to stay determined. Everything would be fine. She would keep going.

  
And so she did.

 

Walking again through that forest, surrounded by silent. Only accompanied by the muffled sound of her shoes crushing the snow. There wasn’t even an echo now. It was… slightly unsettling. She had had enough noise just some time ago, first with Snowdrake and then with… the guy on the phone.

She never got to ask his name…

  
Well, she would! Soon!

 

Despite all the quietness and the creepiness that the dark, deserted forest transmitted, Athela smiled anyway. She had friends, and a purpose. She would keep going… despite having one eye covered with flowers.

And maybe that wasn’t even that bad! Perhaps she would eventually find a solution to that, too! Maybe, if she left the mountain, the flowers would go away. Or maybe not, but the possibility was there, so she decided to think like it was true. Staying positive, Athela.

 

Feeling good, she started taking longer steps. There was something in the distance that she wanted to check. Looked like a big cardboard box. Intrigued, she got closer to it and checked it. There was some narration on it…

“You observe the well-crafted sentry station,” Athela started reading aloud the text written on the box. “Who could have built this, you ponder…I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman!”

 

That sounded cool. Not like the thing was really well-crafted, but she would definitely give three golden stars for the effort. After all, she wouldn’t even be able to make something like that on her own, so...

Oh wait, there was a note… she also read it out loud.

 

“Note: Not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman… hehe,” Athela chuckled at that last line. It was almost… no, it was definitely cute. She could feel the effort of whoever did that. Their resolve to be a Royal Guardsman. Surely they would achieve their goals, one day.

 

Still in a good mood –because, let’s be honest, she had been experiencing only good things in the last… fifteen minutes? –Athela left the well-crafted sentry station and… soon enough, she found another sentry station. Or at least, what looked like one. There were lots of stands on that place, huh. She had seen three so far.

Were they all from… Royal Guardsmen? As that previous note said. Maybe that person was trying to imitate the other stations. If anything, that made the whole thing cuter than it already was.

 

The young skeleton hugged herself as she walked to the sign that was next to the post. It was cold… too cold for her liking. But fighting the cold was useless, too. She wished she had some better clothes. Not just her pajamas, but something warmer. She should’ve gotten at least her jacket when she got out… but how could she have predicted this? Not like she had ever felt cold before. The whole situation she was in was the most unpredictable thing ever.

  
At least she could do something about her flowers. She made her eyes glow for some more, and the heat emanating from her magic soothed the golden buds for a while. Just for a while, tho. She could not keep her magic active all the time, so surely they would be cold again soon.

 

Sighing, and patting her flowers, she got close to the sentry station. There was a sign next to it, so she naturally started reading it. What she read left her really… confused, to say the least.

 

 

_“Absolutely NO MOVING!!!”_

 

Huh. No moving.

 

Wait, why? No moving? Why no moving?

 

Athela froze immediately, of course. It sounded like an order, and… evidently, she followed it. Not really knowing why, but she did it nonetheless.

Was there any purpose for this? Maybe not.

 

…

 

Hold on a second. If there was no purpose, why should she stay still in such a cold place? Why should she obey a random sign anyway??

  
Sigh.

  
She really played along for a second there, huh? But she could not manage to do so; she better just keep going. The station was empty, so no one was watching her disobey… right?

 

…

 

Oh. Oh no. Oops. It wasn’t empty at all…

 

“Did something move? Was it my imagination?” Astonished, the skeleton saw how a funny-looking dog, wearing an adorable tank top with a smiling dog, slowly crept out of the post’s counter. Looking everywhere, as if looking for something.  He was… cute, but…

“…” Bummer. Caught red-handed. The shame!! Not daring to say anything, Athela stood perfectly still, hoping the dog hadn’t really noticed her moving. It was a dumb hope, but… she hoped anyway. If she thought about it twice, the order was odd enough to just right out question it, but… She still felt somewhat bad enough for disobeying.

 

Anyway. She expected the dog to call her out and say something. But… he was looking everywhere except at the place she was at. Was he not seeing her? Or was he ignoring her on purpose? No, that didn’t make any sense… maybe…

“I can only see moving things,” the dog-monster suddenly added.

 

Oh well. That explained a lot of things. She was about to feel bad for him for being blind. Now she would just feel half-bad… because he was half-blind.

No, scratch that. She was feeling bad anyway. They had something in common, somehow, then. Yay for half-blind partners.

 

“If something WAS moving… for example, a human…” The monster’s voice started turning more and more heavy each second, as if he was muttering a deadly threat. Athela shivered slightly. But… a human? That sure was random. She was thinking that, when the monster’s next statement paralyzed her. “I’ll make sure it NEVER moves again!”

 

OKAY.

So IT WAS a deadly threat!!

 

Just what was the deal with underground people??

  
She saw how the dog took out two dangerous-looking daggers, and she felt her SOUL sinking in fear. Literally. Her SOUL was again in front of her, fluttering, as purple as ever. In her distress, she took a single second to stare at it. Shiny… it was beautiful.

  
  
But there was no time to be mesmerized by sparkly upside-down hearts. Athela was more worried about the scary monster that said she would never move again. She needed to stay alive. The skeleton stood completely still and silent as thoughts crossed her mind at the speed of sound.

She needed to come up with a strategy. Apparently, he wasn’t even seeing her… maybe…

 

“Don’t move an inch!!” Doggo yelled, and his knife shone as it turned cerulean. Was that some kind of magic…? Athela didn’t know. She just knew the knife was going right at her. She… should she stay still? No way, she was too scared!! The knife was going to hit her if she didn’t move!! It was coming right at her, she needed to avoid it!!!

 

However… as she tried to dodge the knife… she felt her SOUL slicing in two. The pain was so great, she wasn’t even able to yell… she just stared at the air, in shock. And as she turned to dust… she heard the dog’s confused screams. She could feel how the flowers fell from her eye sockets, slowly, to turn the snow golden.

  
She could fully see everything one last time… before everything turned black again.

 

 

 

 

 

**Athela - LV 1**  
**Snowdin – Box Road**  
 **Nº Resets: 31**


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 15 – The Ball Game**

 

 

 

The skeleton rose from the frozen ground as soon as she was left alone again; her teeth were chattering due to the great cold that had almost set in her bones. She had needed to sit on the snow for what felt like forever in order to wait for the dog monster to finally go away.

  
And boy, was it horrible.

 

After her first death to the blue knives, she awoke to the marvelous sensation of yet another flower wriggling its way out of her skull, this time from her left eye socket. The feeling was as awful as she remembered it to be like when it all started, back at Toriel’s house.

 

She was about to freak out yet again, because that meant she was also going to lose sight from her left eye, and that completely terrified her. But she soon realized that she was, again, back at her last save point, and that made her remember she had talked to her phone buddy. That he would come for her, at some point. She had saved that conversation, so it would really happen.

That fact… it filled her with a good feeling.

  
So after spending some time to calm herself down, she had tried to face the blind dog again. She hadn’t yet fully understood the power of that cerulean magic, and she didn’t know how to face someone who just wanted her to stop moving, so she tried to run past the guard post. Maybe he wouldn’t have the time to notice her…

 

Oh, but she was wrong.

Of course he noticed.

 

And no matter how much she tried to stay away, he always followed her. It didn’t took much until he caught up to her, anyway, because the young skeleton wasn’t really athletic.

He swung his knives again, and Athela was horrified to discover that, even if the attack went right past her – she had minimally good dodging skills at that point, since it was all practice, –the blades still cut her as if she was a tender piece of cheese. Just what was the trick??

 

After her second death, and after thinking a little, she tried the craziest thing she could imagine. Despite going against all natural self-preservation instincts, she… let the blades hit her.

Not like it was completely illogical. He was literally yelling “don’t move” at her. So maybe that was what she had to do. Maybe. If it wasn’t, she would just die and she would curl up in a corner and cry a bit.

 

But she was delighted to discover that, indeed, the attack went right through her. The dog monster looked everywhere, confused, looking for his prey, but she stood completely still.

 

Her breath quickened, and she felt her SOUL pulsating strongly. It worked! So she would not move again. Just… stay still. Wait for the monster to give up and leave.

 

…

 

After ten minutes of “battling”, she just sat on the floor because that dude was not going away. Talk about persistence. The floor was really, really cold, but she was too tired of standing as frozen as an ice statue.

 

And that would be what she would’ve literally become, if it wasn’t for her magic. Her glowing eyes helped her stay warm, even if they didn’t provide much heat, and even if they didn’t glow much. Somehow, the glow seemed… weaker. Probably because she was tired. She didn’t think much about it as she remained still, sitting on the blue-ish snow.

 

A few minutes later, after what felt like a whole eternity, the dog just frowned and went back to his stand. Athela waited some more, and thought about dogs in general. Dogs were cute, but… as a skeleton, she did not feel completely comfortable around them. She was made of bones, and… every dog she had seen on TV, or read about on a comic book or a novel… They all ate bones. Would dog-monsters be different, or would they also…?

Good thing the dog was blind and probably never found out what she was. Shivering, but not because of the cold, she shook her head and thought about pollen and sunshine. That, until she saw the dog monster close his eyes. And start snoring.

 

“Phew… finally,” she sighed, with a relieved smile. That dog could be persistent… but she was even persistenter!! And he could not be even more persistent, because she was the persistentest! Even if that was grammatically wrong. It didn’t matter.

 

She finally stood up, giggling. Victory!

 

Her giggles only lasted so far, for she had a strange reaction. Her teeth were clattering slightly, and her nose –or what could be called her nose –felt funny. It itched… but not really, it was…

  
…

 

“A…” Oh, jeeze. “Achoo!” She felt the need to close her eyes and her head rocked forward, expelling some air for some reason. Athela didn’t know what just happened, but it felt really, really weird. She had also made a small, funny noise.

 

Why? Was it because of the cold?

 

Interesting.

 

But wait, did the noise wake up the doggo? Alarmed, the skeleton covered her nose as she looked to the station’s direction. The dog seemed to be sleeping still… phew. Good.

 

She felt like she was really freezing to the bone… and that thing she just did made a few petals fall. There they were, in the snow. It didn’t hurt, but… she felt dizzy. She should better hurry to the save point, then. Poor Athela didn’t know what was up ahead, so there was no option but to go back. There could not be a save point nearby aside from that last one, so for Athela it was a better option to go a few meters back.

 

And so she did.

 

The save point felt really warm… A goofy smile appeared on her face as she approached her bony hands to the shiny star. Like a campfire, it made her feel warm soon enough. But she chose to stay there for a while more, because she liked the fuzzy feeling.

 

She suddenly felt the usual skull pain. Was it stronger this time? The young skeleton closed her eyes and hissed as she brought a hand to her head and rubbed her forehead. What a bother. She didn’t remember the pain lasting for so long… it had to be because of the flowers. The dang curse.

 

Anyway, it seemed like her progress was now saved. Sighing, Athela decided to keep going. She ought to be close, right?

 

…

 

Oh, right, she had just started walking through the forest area… jeeze. It had felt like forever. How much more would she have to walk? She thought as she kept walking. There was no time to stop. The chilling cold immediately made her stiffen a bit once she got out of the save point’s comfort zone.

 

She walked in front of the dog’s post again, and he was still there, breathing slowly, apparently feeling calm. How nice, to have hair all over your body… he probably could not feel the cold, could he? That made Athela slightly jealous.

 

She could not afford to stop, though. So she kept going, only dedicating a few seconds to look at what looked like burnt, bone-shaped cookies. Bad omen? Coincidence? Athela went with coincidence, she didn’t want more negative things in her life at the moment.

 

 

Soon enough she arrived to a fairly big area. It was like… an iced up lake. Beautiful.

 

Athela’s eyes sparkled as she approached the frozen water. It was so different from the river… the ice felt cold, hard and sparkly. She, of course, touched it. Slippery. And yes, really cold; she soon withdrew her hands from its icy surface, and was just content with… looking at it. The mirror-like surface also reflected her own image…

 

She looked at herself, and the ice mirrored her sad, sorry expression. It was not every day that she looked at herself with pity. The flowers made her look… scary. She wasn’t used to REAL monsters; she had mostly seen human shows, but now she definitely looked like one. Some flower monster. She felt sorry for the poor girl she saw reflected on the ice.

 

Sighing, she backed away. She couldn’t stand looking at herself. At least it was still her… in some wicked, distorted way.

 

Athela had the feeling that she would never like flowers anymore. What a shame.

 

There was a sign in the middle of the ice lake… Athela felt like reading it. Unknowing of the full extent of ice’s slippery properties, she set foot into it and tried to go for the sign. And of course, she slipped big time.

 

“Aaaaaah!!” She yelled as her feet slid on the ice for some meters, and then went up in the air as she crashed against the ground with her bony butt. It hurt. “Ouch, ouch… what the…?” Confused, Athela looked around her, and then at the floor. “Are you serious…?”

 

She tried getting up. Her sense of balance was now off, thanks to her feet not really getting attached to the floor like they should be. It was Athela’s first time ice-skating, and she wasn’t really enjoying it.  The danger she was feeling was likely the main reason for it, really. She was now far from the snow, and she didn’t know how to go back.

 

Trying to push herself further, Athela ended up with her body on the floor once again. It was cold and it hurt a lot!! She whimpered, rubbing her poor frozen butt. That was the second fall already. The sign was somewhat closer now. She tried crawling to it, so she could maybe try getting herself back to the shore from there.

 

She succeeded.

 

Athela took the chance to read what was written on the sign… it probably wasn’t worth all the falls and butt-pain, but she was already there, so she just read it.

 

_“North: Ice_

_South: Ice_

_West: Ice_

_East: Snowdin Town … and ice.”_

 

Oh wow. Actual indications!! Athela was really glad to see… some kind of written map. First time in forever. Now she was glad she went and read the sign. So north was death, south was death, west was death… and east was less death and more like a town? A monster town! And more death.

  
But she would trust the town, maybe the monsters there were nice, like her phone buddy, and no one would try to kill her or to give her any weird puzzles. She would trust that.

 

Nodding, she prepared to leave… but… the lake. Oops. What was she supposed to do now? Okay, she would… she would step slowly into the ice, and then she would use the sign to propel herself to safe ground again. But it didn’t go according to keikaku, of course.

  
[Note: Keikaku means plan]

 

First, her feet slipped again, making her stumble backwards. Then, she fell, with such bad luck that she hit the wooden sign behind her with the back of her skull. Athela heard a low cracking sound, and felt a lot of pain immediately afterwards, but it was not enough to turn her to dust, luckily.

  
Bad news: she fainted immediately afterwards.

 

Worse news: as she lied down unconscious on the snow, she became colder. Each minute that passed… cold. Colder. And yet, colder. With no magic to warm her up, her flowers froze up and withered in less than half an hour.

 

And she died along with them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Athela jolted out of her dark slumber when she spawned back in the world, confused and scared. Her hands immediately went to the back of her head, where only her pretty hair could be found. Wasn’t there supposed to be a crack there? Confused, she kept touching, trying to find it… and…

 

Oh, no, her hair was tangled. Athela ignored the usual head pain –she was already too used to it to consider it as something new –and just used her fingers to brush it, still dazed and unaware of her current situation. In her mind, she was still on the ice lake; she didn’t know what happened, that she had fainted, or anything at all.

 

But soon enough, the warmth of the save point pulled her back to reality and made her look at the scenery around her.

 

“What…? Why am I here?” Still a little bothered by her pained skull, she gazed around, seeing the same familiar box and save point from before. “Did I die? What? How??” The urgency in her voice increased as she became aware of what was happening.

 

And soon, anger rose up too.

 

“Oh, great. Just great.” Grumbling and muttering a few soft curses that she learnt from a TV series once, she crossed her arms and thought about what she had just lost. Fortuitously, she saved after her encounter with the dog, so… now he should still be sleeping.

  
All in all, it didn’t look like she had lost a lot of progress.

 

…

 

But she was angry anyway.

 

What a dumb way to die. She would avoid ice from now on as if it were poisonous. All because of a little slip… she didn’t even remember what happened! It wasn’t fair.

 

The grumpy skeleton started walking again, still grumbling about her sad fate and her clumsiness. Curses. That had been so NOT worth it.

 

She remembered what was written in the sign, so she went past the lake, of course, avoiding to step on the icy surface. East… head east. She had to head east.

 

…

 

Where was “east”?

 

She could use the sun, usually, to guide herself. But she was underground now! No way she would know where east was, right?

 

Athela tried using her brain to solve that situation. Let’s see… she just came from that road over there, so that had to be one “ice”. There was no path if she looked to her right, so that had to be more “ice”. Two left… but… where was east? Maybe… the way she just came from led to the Ruins, and that was a warmer place. So perhaps that was “south”. So east…

 

…

 

No, that was not right. Then “east” would be that path-less direction.

 

…

 

Ah, she just didn’t know… maybe “north” was up, and “east” was… her left? She didn’t have anything else… so… no, wait. Wait. That would be west, not east. She wasn’t good with directions. Jeeze, even her mom told her so in a fairly easy way. “ _If you head north, east is to your right, and west to your left._ ” Don’t forget about that, Athela.

 

When she read the sign, she was looking to the path that was now to her left. So according to the sign, the path that was now to her left had to be “north”. And then… east…

 

“Over there!” With a proud smile, Athela moved forward. She would usually take her time inspecting every little inch of that place, but it was too cold. Maybe she would go back, once she got some warmer clothes. Not like her flowers would stay alive forever if she kept wandering around that tundra. She didn’t want to be careless. Also, there were monsters in that place. Not like they were evil or anything, but… well, accidents happen. Accidents happen a lot.

 

Feeling like she chose the right direction, she happily moved onward. To her delight, there were no indications that she had chosen a dead end; the road kept going and going. There was nothing at first, just snow and more pine trees… but soon enough, she saw someone in the distance.

 

Was it a bunny?

 

Athela’s eyes… well, the eye she had left, sparkled with amazement. She loved bunnies! They were so cute and fluffy… and that was a very big bunny, wow. And it had blue fur, and… was that an ice cream stand?

 

She approached meekly, just in case the bunny would try to greet her in a funny way. It would not be the first time. But he seemed sad… she wondered why. Taking a quick look at the stand’s outstanding parasol –it was really flashy, she couldn’t help but look at it –she approached and greeted the bunny shyly.

 

“Er… hello?” The skeleton rose her hand slowly, carefully. It didn’t seem like he heard her, despite her coy attempts; he kept muttering things.

“I don’t understand why these aren’t selling... it’s the perfect weather for something cold…” He said, looking down, his floppy ears pointing to the floor. Athela tried again.

“Hello!” This time, she spoke with a stronger voice, and she was heard. Immediately after comprehending that he wasn’t alone, the male bunny smiled widely and his ears perked up.

“OH!!!! A CUSTOMER!!!” He yelled, his voice overflowing with joy. Athela had to slightly jump back due to the sudden shock; it seemed like that guy hadn’t had a customer in years… that was quite sad.

  
The bunny stopped leaning on his stand and gave her a really warm smile; that made Athela feel… better. She smiled back as the bunny monster continued talking.

 

“Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It’s the frozen treat that warms your heart! Now just 15G!”

 

So enthusiastic. Athela felt compelled to… buy ice cream. And heck yeah she was right it had been ice cream all along, score for cute Athela.

 

She even had some coins on her. Back at the Ruins, some one-eyed monster gave a bunch of gold to her because she was nice to him. She reached to her pocket and took the money out. Counting… She had a good number of coins, amounting to… 5G.

 

Wait, that was not enough. Oh… oops.

 

“Oh… sorry, I don’t have enough money.” She said, slightly sad. Immediately after saying that, she realized something else. “And… I don’t think I could eat frozen food right now. I’m really sorry…”

 

Despite her saddening words, the bunny didn’t lose his smile. He kept his ears up, and his smile wide. However, his eyes did seem slightly emptier now. Oops?

 

“Well then… tell your friends…” He started saying, his voice slightly vacant too, now. That actually made Athela feel bad for not having money.  “There’s ice cream… out in the middle of the woods…”

 

Ouch. That felt awful. That poor guy sure had it rough. Because, thinking straight, who would even go to the forest to buy ice cream in winter? Athela was just starting to experience cold temperatures, but she just felt like having warm food. Was it really the perfect time to eat ice cream? Or… Nice Cream. She wasn’t quite sure about the differences between those two things, but… it was still cold, cold ice cream in the end.

 

Sighing, and still confused, she gave one last look to the Nice Cream guy and kept walking, paying extra attention to the small bridge in front of her. It was easy enough to cross anyway, so she didn’t mind it. It didn’t give, either. Fantastic.

 

Soon enough, something caught her attention. There was what looked like a snow field of some sort, and… a giant snowball. Lying there, with no apparent purpose whatsoever. She stared at it, intently. Could it be a puzzle? Would anything happen if she pushed it?

 

No… she shouldn’t. It was definitely a bad idea. What if she got killed again, and… … why was it so big? It looked like it would be fun to roll it around… no, Athela… well, maybe a slight push…

 

…

 

She did it. She pushed the ball.

 

It rolled away fast, bouncing away on the snowy field, until it stopped. It was really light… how strange. But it was incredibly fun to see it rolling. Athela giggled as she saw it just lay there.

…

Wait, was it getting smaller?

 

Noooo!

 

She ran to the ball and gave it another push. That, somehow, made it stay big. Not like it was getting bigger, but it wasn’t getting smaller. It was cold, but she kept pushing, because… what if something bad happened when it disappeared? She shouldn’t have touched it on the first place. Athela blamed the appealing round curves of that majestic giant snowball.

 

Anyway. What to do with it now?

 

Maybe she should push it somewhere… like a puzzle. Was this a puzzle? It made sense that it was, she was still expecting spikes and death. But where to put the giant ball? Well, the field was kinda big, so she should just keep pushing.

She had to stop a couple times to just glow her eyes a bit; her hands were getting frozen. And so was she, but… she was having fun, by hook or by crook. It was like a game, she didn’t mind playing a bit. In fact, she was quite enjoying it.

  
The ball ended up not being so giant anymore, but it was okay, it was still whole. Athela tried to avoid an ice puddle that was at one side of the field, but she succeeded. It wasn’t long after that that she saw what looked like a hole. There! There was the place!

 

It was difficult… because the ball would just bounce wherever it wanted to. Also because her vision was not the best, with one eye covered and other to some extent. But in the end, after many trials and tribulations, and after learning about the ball’s erratic behavior and bouncing, she did it. She was hugely relieved when she heard what looked like a victory sound. Then, the ball disappeared, and what it looked like a flag emerged. A purple flag.

  
Athela smiled. That was good, right? She really liked purple, so it better be something good.

 

There was a note attached to the flag… the skeleton took it and read it.

 

“ _PURPLE – Even when you felt trapped, you took notes and achieved the end of ‘Ball.’_ ”

 

There were also two coins. Athela took them, slightly confused.

 

“What…? It looks like a normal game,” she cocked her head to one side, unable to find out where the puzzle was. Maybe it was just a nice game. That would’ve been… well, nice, but slightly upsetting. She thought she was in danger… but apparently, it was all good. She even got money! She had 7G now.

 

…

 

Still not enough for an ice cream.

  
  
Not like she wanted to eat one anyway. Too cold. She felt sorry about the bunny guy anyway. He was nice. Very peaceful. He was added to Athela’s good list. But she was not going to eat the ice cream anyway. If snow was cold to the touch and it was generally uncomfortable, she could imagine how bad it would be to put something as cold in your mouth. Maybe it was even painful. She didn’t know, tho… but she was not willing to try.

 

Athela patted the flowers coming from her left eye as she sighed. They were really cold again… all that playing on the snow was starting to affect her. Her teeth were chattering… it was not a pleasurable feeling. She could go back to her last save point…? No, it was too far. Athela felt like it was too far for her to reach before freezing.

 

It was a scary thought… to know you’ll freeze to death soon, and that MAYBE you’ll save yourself if you kept walking. Maybe.

 

B-but she had been walking for a lot of time… right? Surely, there had to be a save point nearby. Feeling the grip of anxiety, she started walking. The flag had nothing else to offer, so she followed the path ahead of her, barely taking a minute to examine the snowball placed next to the cliff to her left. Why was it there? And… well it didn’t look really round, so that was weird.

  
But she didn’t have the time to think about snowdecahedrons. She was really cold. And the wind was howling again, making her flowers send painful signals all over her head. She groaned as she paced on ahead trying to cover her eyes as best as she could.

 

She walked for what it looked like a long time… but it was just actually just for a few minutes. Of course, it felt longer than that… when you’re focusing every second of your time into thinking about how cold you are, every second matters. But soon, light could be seen at the end of the tunnel… figuratively speaking, of course; it’s not like Athela was in a tunnel.

 

Amidst the light mist, she could see a light. Was that… a save point light?

 

She ran next to it, and almost tripped again in her excitement. Finally…

 

For the time being, she was safe again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **Athela - LV 1**  
**Snowdin – Spaghetti**  
 **Nº Resets: 33**

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^
> 
>  
> 
> NOTE: This chapter wasn't really tested for grammar errors, so sorry if you find mistakes!

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 16 – The last light**

 

 

 

After spending what felt like hours roaming around Snowdin Forest, Athela had finally done it. Finally.  After encountering angry teenagers, dogs, bunnies, ice, giant snowballs and purple flags, she had finally managed to find a save point. How delightful.

  
The young skeleton was so glad to feel at least some little bit of progression. She just ran to it when she saw it, and would’ve bumped it if the glimmering star had any kind of physical form. But it had naught. It was just a piece of light.

  
Smiling widely, Athela cupped the shiny fragment with her bony hands, trying to get at least some warmth from it. She was freezing, so much that she could barely feel her fingers. And just staying next to that thing was good, so…

 

 

“Phew,” she let out a relieved sigh when she felt the warmth getting through her bones. The flowers coming out from her eye sockets seemed to get less rigid, too, but it wasn’t exactly enough. She still felt them a bit stiff, so the skelly used her own magic to warm them up.

 

 

Soon enough her left eye started steaming, like a coffee pot. With a pretty blue hue, the vapor went up into the… sky? Ceiling? And made Athela giggle because of the funny, bolstering fog. That felt so much better.

 

 

She didn’t want to save her progress yet, though.

 

 

First, she took a look around her. She was a curious lady, and she wanted to investigate everything. She felt safe enough, since the room was empty of any living being; and she wasn’t going too far, so she left the saving process for later.

 

 

What called out her attention first was the plate of… food, now at her left. Sitting atop a small wooden table, there was what definitely looked like food. Intrigued, she took a better look…

 

…

 

 

Spaghetti?

 

 

It definitely looked like spaghetti. There was even a fork next to it… maybe it was someone’s lunch? Athela wasn’t going to lie to herself, she WAS feeling hungry. A bit.

 

Rummaging through her belongings, she discovered she still had Toriel’s pie. Looking at it filled her with nostalgia and sadness… she missed the old lady. But she wasn’t answering her phone, so what could she do about it…

 

Anyway. She should eat that piece of delicious pastry soon, but… it felt like a waste, to eat it at that precise moment in time. She should leave it for a special occasion... It just felt wrong, to eat it in the middle of the forest.

 

She left the pie alone.

 

 

Her eyes went to the spaghetti yet again. Maybe she could eat it… but it surely was someone else’s food, right? And she wasn’t sure about eating food from a foreign place anyway. What if it was bad? Athela was quite picky, after all.

 

  
Hm, what to do…

 

 

While she thought about it, she noticed a note lying next to the table, on the ground. She bent down to get it, and then read it out loud.

 

 

“I made too much spaghetti, so rejoice! I will hereby donate this great leftovers to the public! It’s like a playground for your mouth!” Athela couldn’t repress a growing smile as she read through the message. It was pretty cute. And a really nice detail, to top it! She read the signature, which was written in bigger, somehow cooler letters “Nyeh- heh- heh, Papyrus.”

 

 

A signature! Great. Now she knew that the one who made the spaghetti was named Papyrus.

 

…

 

She didn’t know that Papyrus person at all, so the name didn’t tell her anything anyway.

 

 

Athela sighed as she left the note on the ground again, wishing she did at least know who Papyrus was. She would thank him… or her, she wasn’t sure. Papyrus sounded like a guy’s name, so she would go with “he” for the time being. Yes, she would thank him for the food, and maybe they could be friends… maybe. Or maybe not, maybe he would also be a weirdo that enjoyed attacking her just because.

 

But she doubted that. She would believe in that seemingly kind person, because leaving food for people was something nice. Surely he would not be a strange guy. In fact, the only strange thing there was the location of the plate itself. Why leave it in the middle of the forest? Wasn’t there a place less… cold?

 

  
Oh well, she wasn’t going to say no to free food.

 

…

 

Or maybe she would. It would all depend on the flavor of the dish itself.

 

 

 

She gave one final look to the plate and went for the fork immediately afterwards. With it, she went for the spaghetti. She poked them with it.

 

…

 

The spaghetti was completely stiff. And also stuck to the plate.

 

 

“Wow.” Athela rose an eyebrow, partially confused, but mostly disappointed. That meant no food was gonna be eaten, then. What a shame. She poked a bit more, frustrated. Even the tomato sauce was rock hard. She tried grabbing the plate, but the plate was also stuck to the table.

 

  
How sad… it was too cold for you to leave your food out there, apparently.

 

 

She left the fork with a heavy sigh, and then noticed… the microwave.

 

  
To her right, there was another table with a microwave. Maybe she could heat up the spaghetti and then…!

 

 

…

 

…

 

 

Huh. It was unplugged.

 

 

“Why…?” Athela sighed, disheartened. Food was nice, who would do this? It all felt like a big prank where she was offered food but could never eat it. Why put it there in the first place?? Sad face. To add more of the ridiculous factor to the whole thing, all of the microwave settings said ‘spaghetti’.

  
  
Well, she would not blame the person who put that there. Surely that Papyrus guy did it with all his good intention, and didn’t expect the food to freeze like that. The unplugged microwave was… something else, alright, but still. It didn’t look like something done out of ill will. Maybe Papyrus never realized it didn’t work. So it was all fine… well, mostly.

  
Because poor Athela was even hungrier now that she had seen food. She wanted to eat something… but alas. Nothing could be done. She whined a bit, and then… a squeak. Surprised, the skeleton rose her head and looked at the further wall. There was a small mouse looking out from one hole. What a cutie, she thought. Maybe it was hungry too?

 

But she had no food to offer. It was all frozen. Like herself. She was like a plate of spaghetti out in Snowdin Forest, doomed to freeze if left alone for too long.

 

…

 

That was a bit depressing. Begone, bad thoughts! She was not going to freeze! That’s what hunger gets you, a miserable skeleton. But… so what!?

 

 

So maybe she could never get the pasta. What about it? She would eat something eventually, for sure!

 

But the mouse? If the mouse lived there, maybe it would be able to get it! Maybe one day it would find a way to heat up the spaghetti, and therefore eat it. She could already imagine the little rodent chewing on a noodle, with a proud expression on its cute rodent face.

 

 

And that thought.

 

It filled her with a good feeling.

 

 

 

“Ouch!” Athela quickly brought a hand to her skull and grasped her hair once she felt a painful pressure on the right side of her head. What a familiar feeling…

 

 

Looking behind her, she saw the save point glimmering more intensely than before. So that meant her progress had been saved, huh? As always. She was already getting used to the process… but she could never get used to the overall feeling.

 

At least she didn’t have to worry about suddenly dying and going back to the box road anymore, and that was good. So she just sighed, and after warming up a bit more next to the golden light she decided to continue her journey. Maybe there wasn’t much more of a road to walk. Maybe the town was… just ahead.

 

Hehe.

 

 

It wasn’t.

 

 

Of course it wasn’t. Athela sighed once more as she saw a more deserted area, which had a few more pine trees covered in snow. She took a step ahead, and then noticed a sign that was right next to one of the first trees to her left. She got closer to it and read it out loud.

 

 

“Warning: Dog Marriage,” she pronounced those words with quite a confused tone. “What does that even mean?” The skeleton pondered as she rubbed her temples. Could dogs even marry?

 

 

… Well, that was a dumb question. She just saw a dog monster that was taller than she was. There were surely more. And maybe some were married. Athela spent some seconds imagining a female dog monster dressed with a white gown, smiling as she grasped a beautiful bouquet of white roses. A dog with a fancy black tuxedo waiting for her at the altar, with a silly smile on his face. She chuckled at the thought. It was just like in those cartoons she watched when she was really small… what was the name of the show again?

 

She couldn’t quite remember.

 

 

But wait, that wasn’t the time to be fascinated by dog weddings. That sign was a warning signal. Warning. What was the warning about, exactly? She didn’t know. But… maybe she should just avoid dog monsters in general. In fact, after her last encounter with one of them, that seemed to be the best possible idea. Yes.

 

 

The sign truly worried her, actually. Regardless of whether she would encounter married dogs or not, it meant that there would BE, at least, some dogs in the area. She looked around, nervous. Which path should she take now?

 

  
She looked at her left. The road ended there, the end of the cliff let Athela see a beautiful sight; it was really dark and it was hard to see, but… she could see something if she stared for a bit. The trees looked really small, and there was a little house, and… and… she didn’t want to get any closer to the edge. She didn’t feel comfortable around high places anymore, because she could fall down and break into dust yet again. So she would… go forward.

 

There was another path at her right, but she had been going forward all the time, so she would stick to that. She gave a brief look to the snowy path and then started walking again.

 

This area didn’t seem as eerie as the latest ones, Athela thought as she took a look around. She didn’t know why, but it was less creepy. Still not her piece of cake, but at least she wasn’t scared to walk around there, unlike the very first path she walked in. The skeleton took a second to remember the tall trees from the beginning of the forest, the sensation that someone was following her.

 

…

 

Well, she was certainly being followed. By Flowey. Athela didn’t have the slightest idea where he was, but he surely was creeping around. As he always did. It had been a while since she saw him, but no way had she forgotten about him so fast.

 

 

Trying to forget about the flower demon, Athela came to a stop.

 

 

“A dead end…” She groaned as she looked at the literal end of the road. Another precipice, huh? Great. Now she would have to take the other road… not like it annoyed her much, but she had been wanting to get to a cozy warm place for a long time, now. She didn’t enjoy retracing her steps.

 

 

She was about to turn around, when suddenly…

 

A bark.

 

  
“Huh?” Athela tried to look for the source of the noise. She didn’t have to look much; right behind a tree, a fully-armored dog watched her with big, intense eyes. He was wielding a stone dagger… and the skeleton didn’t like that.

 

 

Why was there an armored pup in the middle of the forest?

 

 

Athela would not really think about it too much.

  
She laughed weakly as the dog got out of his hiding spot, panting softly.

 

 

 

“H-hey, doggy…” She shakily waved a bony hand, and the dog followed it with his eyes. Oops. Maybe that had been a bad idea… It would be really horrible if that pooch thought her hands were a dog treat. Athela decided to retreat. “Sorry, I… I have to go…”

 

  
She took a single step backwards.

 

 

The dog took a single step forward.

 

 

Athela gulped, feeling a chill down her spine. She took another step back, and the dog followed. He emitted a tiny bark and cocked his head to one side.

 

…

 

 

To be fair, he looked quite cute… Maybe she could… give him a little pet.

 

No, no, no way. He was looking at her weirdly, as if he wanted something from her. Something like a bone. No, not her bones, she needed them to live!!

 

 

Scared, she decided to try and ignore the dog, so she walked faster to take the path she needed to walk. Heavy steps followed her, and she felt like freaking out. The faster she walked, the faster the pup followed. Maybe he meant no harm, but boy, she was afraid.

 

 

Barks intensified.

  
She started running.

 

  
And soon enough, she was on the floor. Bumped by a big, armored dog, who was extremely heavy. Her head almost hit on a rock that was merely inches away, and Athela felt her SOUL skip a beat. Well, maybe more than a single beat.

 

 

“Eek!! Get off, get off!!” She pleaded as she desperately tried to lift her body upwards. Thankfully, she had managed to avoid her face sinking in the snow, because that would’ve led to some painful, freezing moment. Her flowers wouldn’t have liked that.

 

  
However, the dog was too heavy. Surely most of the blame was on the armor he was wearing… Athela was pretty weak, and putting such a heavy thing on top of her was… well, it was bad. It hurt. It hurt a lot, and it made her sink in the snow more and more.

 

 

The dog was not obeying her, he kept sitting on top of her and yapping. Athela knew she would break soon enough. She knew she was going to die. A single tear escaped her left eye as she tried to wiggle her way out… but to no avail. She wasn’t getting away.

 

It was cold. Her clothes were wetting, and it was freezing. It was painfully heavy… she shrieked a bit, but her voice came out muffled.

 

 

She would pass out soon; Athela didn’t know when, but soon. It was that, or bury her face in the snow to make it quicker. She didn’t want to die… but she couldn’t do anything.

 

  
For the first time ever, she wished she could just go back in time by herself. To the save point. She wished it with all her might. To escape the pain. Just… escape…

 

 

…

 

 

Of course she couldn’t do that.

 

 

Her ribs snapped.

 

* * *

 

 

  
She was hiding.

 

  
It had been a couple resets already, and Athela couldn’t be feeling more desperate. She was probably forever scared of dogs now.

 

Behind a tree, next to a pile of snow, Athela hid and cried softly. She didn’t want to attract the dog with her whining, after all. The second time she went to that area, the skeleton ignored the path she took the first time and headed south… but there were spikes in the way. Hateful, hateful spikes.

 

So she freaked out… and stood there, thinking about what she should do, for too long. She looked for a way around, for another path going down the cliff… maybe a switch hidden on a pine tree that would lower them… nothing.

 

After some minutes, the same dog from before appeared and crushed her again with his cute fervor. And the third time, her face was just buried in the snow by a very enthusiastic tackle. That pup just seemed like he wanted to hunt her and crush her in the snow, apparently…

 

 

She didn’t know what was better, the crushing pain or the freezing pain.

 

 

Because the crushing pain wasn’t so intense, but it was slower and made her feel helpless and desperate. The other kind was incredibly intense, and it spread through her whole head… so it was kind of unbearable. But it was fast… so it ended soon, and…

 

…

 

Was she actually pondering which death was worse? Seriously?

 

 

Dying was bad! She didn’t want to die, and she didn’t want to face that dog ever again!! He was obviously a bit too intense for her. Maybe he just wanted to play, or maybe he wanted to eat her because she was made of bones and dogs like bones or whatever, right??

 

  
Take a deep breath, Athela. Take a deep breath and don’t cry. He can surely hear you if you keep doing that annoying weeping. She needed to think fast… what to do?? She had been hiding for too long, maybe she could find a solution for the spikes, and maybe she could do it right now? Quick, what seemed suspicious over there?

 

…

 

No, Athela, don’t panic. You can’t think if you’re panicking. Deep breaths, again. Come on, you can do this. Wipe out your tears and Look for suspicious things… suspicious… suspicious…

 

….

 

That snow in front of the spikes… Wasn’t it too… loose?

 

  
Like, it looked as if it had been stirred. She had to fixate her sane eye to actually realize this… it was difficult if you only had one eye – partially covered with flowers, to even make it worse – to see what she had around her. She just tried her best anyway.

 

Maybe the button was under that thing? She wanted to hope it was.

 

 

She walked to the suspicious snow and bent down to remove a bit with her hands. It was freezing; she gave a small, unconscious yelp once she felt the coldness. She had yet to get used to it, apparently.

 

There was too much show… Athela decided to get rid of the sleet with her feet, since she was wearing shoes. She kicked it, and saw the snowflakes rolling away quickly. Just as she thought, there was something hidden there! Black lines? She needed to kick all the snow away if she wanted to make sure of what it was.

 

  
Suddenly, she could see two shadows in the snow. They came from behind!!

 

 

Turning around as fast as she could, she gazed upon two monsters. One strange creature with a really big, round head and a strange, spiky cap made of ice. Athela would mentally call it Ice Cap. So, Ice cap and…

 

Uh.

 

What was the other guy supposed to be?

 

 

Athela didn’t know… She stared at it for a while, not sure how to feel. The monster let out a yawn, not covering his mouth while doing so.

 

 

“The Wi-Fi here sucks,” it said, making the skeleton blink in disbelief. What was it talking about? Wi-Fi? What’s Wi-Fi? She was about to ask, but the other monster rolled its eyes and let out a sigh, clearly bothered by its pal and by Athela herself.

 

First impression: Annoying.

 

 

“Where’s YOUR hat?” The capped monster said. Athela rose an eyebrow. That other monster was also weird. Not even a greeting, just right to… criticize her for not having a hat? At least that’s what its eyes were saying.

 

 

Athela didn’t like hats. She liked to have her head naked, so her hair would be majestic and free, like it should be. Because her hair was really pretty, yes it was. Like her mom’s.

 

But she had no time to think about stuff like that. She needed to find a solution for the puzzle! She still had to discover what was underneath the snow, so…

 

  
“Eh… sorry, but I don’t have a hat. I’m busy right now, so maybe we can talk later?” She tried to be polite before turning around. She heard one of the monsters sigh in annoyance.

 

“Wow, you guys SUCK at this.”

 

“Shut it, Jerry!”

 

 

Oh, so the strange monster was named Jerry. That name fit it, somehow. But she didn’t give it any mind. She needed to be fast, before the dog arrived. Sadly, Ice Cap didn’t seem to mind her rush, it sounded really annoyed.

 

 

“What? What are you doing?” It inquired, with an angry tone. Athela, worried about the change in attitude, turned around.

 

“I… er…” Oops. It didn’t seem pleased. But… but she didn’t have time for this! She needed to hurry, and… and she had been polite!

 

“Guys, it’s COLD. Does anyone care?” Jerry asked, crossing its arms. Athela would agree, but the conversation was really getting a bad turn there, so… she ignored it. Ice Cap also ignored Jerry, since it had other things to complain about rather than just the cold. Would it even mind about the cold anyway? Its hat was made of ice. And the monster, too, looked like a little snowman itself.

 

“Hello?? My hat’s right here!!” It said, frowning. Pointing to its hat. Cap. Whatever it was, Athela didn’t care. But it WAS a nice one, she had to admit…

 

 

Maybe she had been offensive because she never complimented the monster’s hat? Maybe it was upset because she ignored it…

 

 

She managed to tear her eyes away from Ice Cap’s hat once she noticed a really familiar sensation. Her SOUL right in front of her, as purple as always. Maybe a little less bright than she remembered? She wouldn’t trust her memory on that matter anyway. Her memory was bad and she should feel bad.

 

She stared at her own SOUL for a few seconds before panicking; that meant battle!! She snapped just in time to see some icicles fly towards her.

 

 

Yelping, she barely managed to avoid the first row of three. But somehow, they kept coming. More, and more, and more… did that assault ever end?? It was the longest attack she had ever suffered. Was it really that mad??

 

  
And meanwhile, Jerry just watched while eating powdery food. It licked its hands loudly.

 

Eww, gross.

 

  
One icicle pierced her shoulder, making her shriek in pain.

 

She couldn’t just avoid them all, could she…?

 

That added another death to the counter.

* * *

 

 

 

“Wow! You have a great hat!” Athela had turned around as soon as she saw Ice Cap’s shadow and complimented it. The teen monster’s face lit up; it seemed pleased. Immediately after that, however, it frowned and made an arrogant smile.

 

"Duh! Who DOESN'T know?" It said, truly proud of itself.

 

“Ka-SIGH,” Jerry shrugged and looked elsewhere with a bored expression.

 

 

For now they weren’t attacking her, so Athela started removing snow again; being extremely careful not to look like she was ignoring them. That sufficed…for the time being.

 

 

“I’m sure you’re jealous of my hat! Everyone is!” Ice Cap just stared at the skeleton lady, not really willing to help. But that was fine with her.

  
“I wouldn’t wear it as nicely as you, sadly.” She didn’t want to say she wanted to wear a hat, because that would be a lie. She tried to… redirect the conversation a bit with a smooth remark.

 

 

Ice Cap was truly flattered.

 

 

“That’s true! You seem to know well who has the best hat around!” It said, nodding. A faint blush on its face. Jerry sighed again, and started eating powdery food again. Athela tried to crack the best smile she could… and failed.

 

                                        

She could barely even see them anymore.

 

 

  
After some nice attention to Ice Cap, and none to Jerry, – because Jerry wasn’t really asking for attention, Jerry was just doing gross things, like sneezing  without covering its nose and then licking its hands after eating even more powdery food, – Ice Cap decided to leave. Looks like it was satisfied with the attention Athela gave it.

 

 

The young lady sighed, relieved, once she saw it leave. No offense, but she was still in a hurry. Remember, there was a dangerous dog around…

 

 

“Well… this is it. Looks like a map,” Athela stared at the black lines on the floor, crossing her arms in distress. She was getting cold, and… sadly, skeletons lack any kind of body heat, so she couldn’t really warm herself up.

 

 

She tried glowing her eyes again…

 

…

 

She was still cold.

 

 

“Oh, no…” She tried again, but to no avail. Her right eye was completely dysfunctional, apparently; she couldn’t feel any kind of warmth from it. And her left eye… it glowed, but not that much.

 

Panicky, she tried moving the left side flowers aside for a bit whilst doing her best to ignore the pain. She could see a bit better… but it was awful to even touch the flowers. She was too cold. And let’s not forget, the flowers were in her eye sockets. It still felt like putting your fingers inside your eye: not nice.

 

  
Well, there was nothing to worry about. Not for now, right? There was a save point really close by, she could just go back to it if she got too cold…

 

…

 

Maybe she was just avoiding reality… but at least that helped her stay sane.

 

She was doing her best, and…

 

 

 

“Why are we doing this? What a fail," Athela frowned and turned around.

 

  
Why was Jerry still there?

 

 

Its friend left, shouldn’t it just go away too? Well, not like Jerry was dangerous or anything like it… Athela had yet to see it attack. Jerry was harmless, and that was good. But…

 

 

"Well... can YOU give me a ride home?" It said, crossing its arms in a sassy gesture.

 

 

Gosh.

 

It was so annoying.

 

 

“No, I can’t,” she answered quickly and went back to the puzzle. Maybe Jerry would go away if she just… kept ignoring him.

 

  
On the other hand… let’s concentrate on the map, shall we?

 

 

She was GUESSING it was a map, because it was a square with lines, and there was a red cross, like a treasure map. But that was no treasure hunt. More like… a switch hunt? Since Athela’s main goal was to lower the spikes that kept her trapped on that room.

 

Finding a treasure would also be pretty cool, though.

 

 

No, Athela. Focus. The red X was over there, at the top-right part. Gosh, the map was huge… she could fit inside and by much.

 

 

“Hmmm…” Trying to ignore Jerry’s snarky comments about how much everything sucked, Athela tried to locate herself on the map. It wasn’t hard, actually. She could see the similarities between the room and the drawing pretty well; the big space had to be the area in front of where she had come from… She positioned herself at that point on the map and started walking on it. As I said, the map was huge.

 

 

So she was standing at the bottom-left part of the map. That’s where she was. Good. Funny how even the trees were represented there, with black dots. So much thought put onto that puzzle; Athela was impressed.

 

It would be even better if there wasn’t a dangerous dog trying to hunt her around.

 

  
But that wasn’t the person who made the map’s fault.

 

 

So, the red mark was at…

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

 

Oh, no.

 

 

 

 

She had to go up again?? But that’s where the dog was! Oh no, oh no… what could she do now? No way was she going up there for a second time!!

 

 

“So. Like, I need to go to the bathroom,” Jerry announced. Athela just nodded, somehow wishing it would really go away. But it didn’t, of course. It stayed with her, like a leech.

 

 

The skelly was just exasperated. Going up… that would mean certain death. And not like Jerry was going to help, that was for sure. Ugh…

 

 

A simple head turn and she could glimpse something golden in the trees far ahead. Squinting her eyes, she focused on it…And a shiver went down her spine.

 

 

Flowey.

 

 

…

 

 

Wait, was he giggling??

 

 

Oh, just great. Of course it was funny. She was about to die AND stuck with an annoying weirdo that wouldn’t shut up. That was certainly amazing. Great, Flowey, laugh as much as you want. She deserved all that mocking.

 

 

Ugh. Now she was cranky. Well, maybe she could just…

 

 

 

“Sssh! Girl, I’m THINKING!” Jerry continued talking. Gosh!!

 

“Jerry. Go away,” Athela just said that as boldly as she could. She was more than done with it. She didn’t think it would work, though; surely it would stay there. Jerry was about to say something, but it sneezed again. Really loudly. And of course, no mouth or nose covering whatsoever. That was so gross; good thing she was far away enough from it.

 

 

Athela sighed, done with the world. Something told her that being with the dog would be somewhat better than this.

 

Of course, that pessimistic point of view disappeared once she turned her head north and saw the dog right there, staring and panting with his tongue out.

 

 

Now Athela just wanted her mom again.

 

 

 

“Sure. Whatever.” The skeleton looked at Jerry, bewildered. Did it just agree to leave??

 

 

Yes. Yes, it was gone now. Walking away. Athela couldn’t believe it… She would’ve done that a long time ago if she had just known. But… now she was alone against the dog again. She felt as if she had gotten so far, and now…

 

 

The dog barked and ran to her. Athela yelled and braced for impact.

 

 

It was the first time she fell on her back instead than on her face; it was way better. Now she didn’t have to worry about dying from the cold, since the flowers were out of the way of the snow. But… the dog was as heavy as always. His fur was right on her face, and it smelled strongly of dog chow.

 

At that moment, Athela knew she preferred a death by sudden freeze. Anything that wasn’t as long and excruciating as the crushing, please, she couldn’t stand it! She felt like crying… but no tears came out of her eyes. However, her voice was still cracked, as if she were, despite everything, crying.  
  
She snapped.

 

 

“No! No, go away! Bad dog!! Bad!!!” She yelled as loud as she could, pushing the pup desperately. Or… trying to push him. He was such a heavy doggy.

 

 

And maybe it was the despaired expression on her face. Maybe it was the loud yelling. Or maybe it was the fact that she called him a bad dog, who knows? That Lesser Dog whined. He wasn’t a bad puppy, he just wanted a friend and some bones. He just thought she was playing hide and seek… but now she was sad, and he was a bad dog.

 

Some of the weigh was lifted, and Athela felt a warm, wet tongue going up her face. Puzzled, she watched as the dog got off her and sat on the ground, head and tail down. Whimpering.

 

 

“… Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. Why was he acting like a scolded pupper now? Was it because she had insulted him? True, she was desperate and crankier than before, that’s why she did it, but… Oh no, now she felt bad. She didn’t like dogs that much, but let’s be fair, dogs are so cute. She couldn’t ignore a whining puppy. Even if that pup had killed her before. “I… I’m sorry…”

 

 

Lesser Dog, however, just turned around and left.

 

 

Great. Now she felt like garbage.

 

 

  
“Hey, will you look at that! He’s gone!” Abruptly, Flowey popped out right next to Athela, making her yelp once again.

 

“Eeek!!” She yelped and fell on her butt. Ouch, that hurt. Flowey just yelled.

 

“Priceless.” He nodded. “Looks like you did it! You made someone feel bad! Next step: Murder!” The flower shifted his face slightly, to make it look creepier.

 

 

Athela wasn’t faced anymore by that, anyway. It was just a threat, and some scary faces, but just that. If he had added some pellets, then she would be really scared. But it wasn’t the case.

 

“No, thank you,” still, she had to be extra careful with her wording. Who knew when Flowey would actually try to attack her? A misstep could be lethal.

 

“A flower can dream, hey,” he smirked. Then, he made a kinder face and looked at Athela in the eye. “By the way, how are you doing?”

 

 

She stood there, silent, for a while. Surprised and apprehensive.

 

 

“Why do you care?” She asked. Flowey just laughed.

 

“Golly! Because we’re best friends, silly~” And he winked. The skeleton didn’t know if she should feel angry or sad because he was clearly mocking her. Anyway, she decided to continue with the conversation.

 

“I can barely see you now,” Athela restrained herself from saying that she was almost glad. Because that would be mean, and… well, she preferred to know where the little demon was at all times. Just in case.

 

“Hee hee… what will you do when you stop seeing completely?” He asked, with a mischievous smile. Athela shivered.

 

 

She didn’t know.

 

 

What would she do?

 

 

The idea of going blind before even getting to a safe place terrified her. The forest was really cold, and… she would not survive for long if she wandered around there for too long. She would certainly freeze to death, and…

 

 

And…

 

 

…

 

 

Flowey was gone.

 

 

“W-where…?” Athela turned around and moved her head to see if he was hiding in one of her blind spots. But no; looks like he was gone. Maybe he went to hide behind the trees just to spook her.

 

  
Well, it was working.

 

 

The poor skeleton shivered once again and decided it would be a good idea to run back to her last save point again, since she was almost feeling numb. Her head and eyes hurt… and she could always go solve the puzzle later.

 

  
Chilling next to a warm spot at that moment didn’t seem like a bad idea.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“What’s that smell?” The male dog’s voice reverberated again on Athela’s head. Just like it did last time. And the time before that.

 

“(Where’s that smell?)” The female dog’s voice echoed right after the male’s, sounding as wary as she sounded the first two times.

 

  
Athela breathed in and out, determined. She could barely see them now; there was barely a tiny inch of light that she could see through on her left eye.

 

The flowers had almost consumed everything.

 

 

But she could still see. She could still FIGHT.

 

Or… dodge. Whatever.

 

 

“If you’re a smell…” The male continued his speech with a deep, serious voice, and his partner walked right after him.

 

“(… Identify yoursmellf!)”

 

 

They started walking around her, in erratic circling, as they sniffed the air, looking for the source of that new smell. She was right there, still as a statue, since the first time running away didn’t work as planned. Athela didn’t have a heart, but she could feel her SOUL inside of her, pulsating strongly. Uneasy.

 

 

Since this could be her last chance.

 

 

Athela kneeled down and grabbed some pieces of the awfully cold snow. It was so cold… and painful. Her fingers started feeling numb soon. But she had to do it. She stood up again, just in time for one of the dogs to get right beside her. With his snoot next to her skeleton arms.

 

 

Sniff, sniff.

 

 

“Hmmm... Here’s that weird smell,” he murmured, sniffing her arm carefully. Athela needed to stay still, or else they wouldn’t be able to sniff correctly. And that would be bad.

 

 

Though that situation was bad for her hands, too. The snow was freezing her fingers. She needed to… stay… strong…

 

 

“Smells like bones,” the canine monster didn’t seem completely satisfied with that, though. He moved his nose and started sniffling her clothes. Athela took the chance to rise her hands packed with snow. The dog, meanwhile, kept evaluating. “This smells like snow…”

 

“I’m so sorry…” The young skeleton muttered as she felt her nonexistent heart break into a million pieces.

 

 

Then, she splashed the snow on her hair.

 

 

It was so cold she wanted to yelp. The snow was slowly permeating through her silky, precious hair. And getting to her skull. To a normal human, that would feel like a brain freeze after eating ice cream too fast. But Athela didn’t know that.

 

Luckily, the flowers were INSIDE her skull, not outside. Therefore, she didn’t die. Instead, she just… froze for a few seconds.

 

 

“This also smells like snow,” Dogamy said as he reached and sniffed Athela’s hair, now wet because of the snow.

  
“(Are you actually a snow skeleton?)” Dogaressa mumbled, interested. She poked Athela’s arm. She was warm… Athela wanted to cuddle her. But she was still wary and afraid of dogs.

 

 

She nodded. Unlike the first dog, it was clear they could see her, and… unlike the second dog, they could talk and reason. But they didn’t seem very smart, either; or at least they weren’t able to recognize what she was if they didn’t have a clear smell.

 

 

The first time she died to them, she had tried to run away. Sadly, that went terribly wrong… and it ended with an axe on her head. Athela preferred not to remember that. So, the second time she acted smart, and analyzed everything the dogs did. They smelled her, and she smelled like bones and like snow… except for her hair. Her hair smelled like human.

 

And that made them want to eliminate. Eliminate HER.

 

  
Clearly, her clothes smelled like snow because that enthusiastic pup had tackled her to the floor earlier… but her hair still smelled a bit like human. Maybe because she got it from her mom.

 

Athela wondered if her mom and her hair smelled the same. That would be really cool.

 

 

In any case, Athela learnt the lesson. There was no way she could dodge two dogs at the same time, so she had to do something before she encountered them. It broke her heart to make that to her precious hair, but… it was better to be wet than to be dead.

 

 

“Can you give us a bone?” Dogamy asked, eagerness growing in his voice.

 

“(We love bones,)” Dogaressa affirmed, equally thrilled. They were waving her tails in excitement, and Athela found that really cute.

 

 

Athela’s teeth were starting to clatter.

 

 

“S-sure…” Oops, her voice sounded so muffled and hoarse. Maybe it was because of the cold? At least using magic implied getting warm… and she needed that. She concentrated and started making her eyes glow.

 

 

Well, her eye.

 

Or… what was left of it.

 

 

She tried her best, and the dogs could see that. They watched as her left eye shone as strong as it could for a short period of time. Then, the light blinked, as if it were glitching.

 

It was the first time that ever happened to Athela. She got a little scared, and the spell went wrong.

 

 

The bone was extremely small.

 

And she felt extremely tired. She needed to sit down… her legs were failing.

 

 

Dogaressa held her, worried.

 

 

“Are you okay, snow skeleton?” Dogamy asked, equally worried. “Hot dog, I think she’s sick.”

 

“Hot… dog…” Athela murmured, a little bit out of it, and Dogaressa soon clarified.

 

“(He means me.)”

 

“Oh…”  The young skeleton doubted that was the dog’s real name, but for now she would be the hot dog, alright.

 

 

Athela didn’t get to do much after that, though. She felt awful, and luckily the two dogs had enough body heat to warm her up, because she would’ve died if they hadn’t been there. She was taken away someplace else, but she couldn’t see where exactly; she felt too dizzy to even open her eyes. They seemed to have good intentions anyway, so she didn’t struggle. They didn’t walk much, though, and meanwhile she could hear them saying something about “resting for a bit”.

 

They also apologized.

 

She was left on the floor, with her back peacefully resting against a wall. A couple pats to her beautiful, wet hair, and then it was cold again.

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

Wait, it was cold!!

 

 

Athela abruptly opened her eyes, just to see… almost nothing, alright. Looking frantically in every direction, she could guess they had taken her to the spaghetti room again. In one hand, it seemed logical, since that seemed like a chill-out place to just rest, and what she needed was rest.

  
On the other hand… it meant that the town wasn’t near enough for the mutts to take her there. She felt her SOUL sinking at that thought…

 

 

But no! She didn’t know for sure that was true! Maybe they just took her there because… well, she couldn’t think of a proper reason now, but maybe!! Surely?

 

The town had to be close by now, it had to be!!

 

 

And she had managed to pass all the obstacles on that room… so! She was one step closer now! She just had to keep going, and then… then! She would make it! She had gotten so far already… she couldn’t just give up like that! She would surely get there, all she had to do was keep her positivity. Baby steps.

 

 

Doing her best to keep determined, Athela felt a slow wave of pain going through her skull. It started at the exact same place where the prior pains did, but this time it expanded slowly, making her feel as if he was having a heavy headache. She growled and brought her hands to her head, grabbing it softly.

 

It hurt.

 

 

Progress saved.

 

 

 

It was not long after that her pain went away. She didn’t feel… great. But she was fine. The save point was there, she could see its bright twinkling and feel its warmth. She decided to stay there for a while, since her hair needed some serious drying.

 

She shivered and stood there for a while.

 

 

Then, just in case, she saved again. The pain came back, but she stood it; she needed to do so if she wanted to maximize the amount of time she would pass down there. And so, after doing this, Athela walked through her previous steps one more time, getting deeper into the forest.

 

Closer to freedom.

 

Thankfully, the spikes were still down, and Jerry was nowhere to be seen. Excellent news.

 

 

The road led to a new place, and it was the first time for her there. Feeling a little bit nervous, Athela observed it as best as she could while caressing her flowers. It was getting even colder now, wind was howling mercilessly and her eyes were feeling the painful breeze from the forest.

 

 

“That’s… a sign,” Athela could distinguish a button on the floor, and a lonely sign placed next to some rocks. The rocks were aligned strangely… of course, that must be a puzzle. She prayed that it was something safe. She read the indications out loud, and her voice turned out hoarse once more… but she didn’t mind it. “Turn every X into a 0. Then press the switch.”

 

 

Wait, X? What X? Athela couldn’t see any…

 

Oh.

 

Of course, she couldn’t see anything because she was almost as blind as a melon. Following basic logic, she guessed the Xs were inside the closed areas the strangely aligned rocks formed.  The skeleton bent down to confirm… and yes, there it was.

 

Upon touch, the X turned into a 0.

 

 

“That was easy!” Pleased, she went to the other side. Luckily, there were only two she needed to change. The button was pressed, and then… then what?

 

 

She heard a sound, but…

 

 

Inspecting the room, she noticed some small holes on the floor that looked like lowered spikes. Athela sighed, smiling; it was good, but she should just check the whole room before doing things, shouldn’t she?

 

 

Athela’s thoughts were stopped by the howling wind, once again. She yelped and covered as many flowers as she could, but sadly, skeleton hands weren’t famous for being able to protect you from the icy wind. She was still freezing…

 

Shivering, the skeleton wondered for a second time how big was the mountain itself to have wind and micro climates. Because the Ruins were warm, and this Snowdin place had snow, so… that was really strange. Why would that be? Athela was no speleologist, so she couldn’t even take a wild guess. Her brain was as frozen as herself.

 

 

Frozen…

 

Athela remembered the spaghetti. She just left them there like that… hopefully the mouse would eat some day. She was hungry as well, but she had no time to spare imagining a nice slice of pie. She had to hurry… wind was too cold.

 

 

Walking faster, Athela encountered yet another puzzle. Or what looked like it, of course… not like she could see the whole thing. She just knew about the spikes blocking the way after walking and exploring for a bit.

 

This new puzzle was way more complicated. With her reduced vision she barely managed to find all the Xs, and… sadly, difficulties rose up once she stepped twice on one tile, turning it into a green triangle. Growling, she tried to reset it, and tried again.

 

 

And again.

 

 

And yet again.

 

 

Who knows how much time she spent trying to solve it? Her whole self was hurting once she pressed the switch and the spikes were lowered. The exhaustion from using magic constantly, to keep herself warm, had worn her greatly. She felt like fainting.

 

  
“I… I have to go back,” she muttered, shaking like a leaf. She had focused on the puzzle way too much, and now… would she even manage to go back to the save point? Her body was stiff… and…

 

 

What if she died? Would she become blind, at last? But then… she would not be able to solve the puzzle like that. Her eyes… she needed her eyes. She couldn’t die. Not yet.

 

Please, not yet.

 

Athela didn’t know if there would be a save point in the next room, but she couldn’t take the risk... or… more like she didn’t want to take it. Saving as much time as possible was crucial, being as terrified of freezing to death as she was.

 

 

So she retraced her steps.

 

 

Stumbling, with her whole body rattling and partially numb, she tried to quickly go back to the last save point, to the spaghetti room. At least, as fast as her near-sighted eye and frozen legs would let her, of course.

 

 

But… midway, her legs gave away. She fell on her knees with a surprised, weak cry, and immediately after, she tried to remain steady by holding herself with her arms.

 

 

“No, not now… please, just… just a bit further…” Looking up, she saw the snow map she discovered before. She was almost there… pleading, desperately praying under her breath, she tried to stand up. She tried using her arms to push herself up, feeling how her SOUL shriveled in fear.

 

Her arms also failed to support her.

 

 

Feeling like she couldn’t make another single movement, Athela fell to the snow. She tried turning her head so the flowers wouldn’t enter in direct contact with the snow. Maybe she would be able to get up… maybe… She couldn’t die now. Please, no…

 

Trembling, she tried to move. For a second, it looked like her numb body would move… but she fell again. This time, not to stand up again.

 

 

And the world went dark forever.

 

**Athela - LV 1**   
**Snowdin – Spaghetti**   
**Nº Resets: 40**


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 17 – The darkness that grows within**

 

Life is so sad, isn’t it?

 

  
Sometimes, it all goes really well. You’re joyful, you’re out in the sunlight, having fun with your loved ones, enjoying their company, sharing meals with them, being happy...

 

 

Then something happens. Maybe a bad plan that you mess up. Maybe a stupid slip. And then you find yourself alone, wishing you were dead but finding yourself unable to die.

 

And yet, you still wish to go back to that warmth… you’re afraid of dying. So you keep coming back to your horrible, dark, and hopeless reality.

 

 

Even if it kills you. Because you have literally nothing better to do.

 

 

…

 

 

Hee hee hee.

 

 

Life is so funny, isn’t it?

 

 

 

That poor, miserable thing! She had wailed so much when she realized her vision had been taken away from her. She cried and yelled, and then yelled and cried some more. Until she had no voice left.

 

Because she couldn’t even cry properly now, with those beautiful flowers covering her eye sockets.

 

What a shame! She couldn’t even appreciate their beauty.

 

 

Also, no magical temper tantrum this time. Maybe the baby had learnt to keep it down since that time she literally killed herself. Not like Flowey knew what really happened, since he only saw the lightshow, but he could take some wild guesses. Perhaps it was the exhaustion. Or the broken glass. Or both.

 

One way or the other, it didn’t matter. It was hilarious anyway.

 

 

But… he was unsure. Was she really keeping it down, or was she just unable to express herself properly? She couldn’t cry… so maybe she couldn’t do any magic anymore either.

 

How interesting.

 

 

Of course, he would observe the creature closely from now on, just to make sure his theories were correct. It didn’t matter now, since she wasn’t even able to know he was there anymore. He could be as close as he wished to be. There was nothing to worry about to any further extent. And that was great!

 

 

Because that girl never ceased to amuse him.

 

 

  
The cute golden flower approached the weeping skeleton. It was the fifth time after she discovered her brand-new blindness. That had been her first blind breakdown, with no magic whatsoever. After that one, she had a few more, all of them shorter. But now she was just… silent. Head down, hugging her bony knees. Her hair covering her face.

 

Flowey didn’t know what would happen now. That lack of knowledge made him excited and joyful. And once he approached her, he realized that the flowers in her eyes were just the same number as last time. Were they not increasing anymore, or were there more growing inside?

 

As a flower, he could relate to the desire to find light, but now the exit was blocked and the poor flowers had to grow inside. Golly, what a shame!

 

 

He snickered silently and stood still as he awaited for another riveting reaction. The great thing about that human-skeleton hybrid was that, despite having taken away Flowey’s resetting powers, she remembered everything! It only made sense, of course.

 

But that was still wonderful! His other toys had gotten boring and predictable already. Even that Papyrus guy got dull after some time, too. Flowey had stopped making resets on his own when he discovered that there was nothing new to discover. Days passed, bland, boring and bleak...

 

 

Until she came.

 

 

A brand new toy that would never give him the same answer twice.

 

 

Flowey had been confused at first. His reset powers had been taken away, and that made him feel slightly uneasy… but after letting it sink in, he decided to just let it go and play!

 

 

And you know what the funniest thing was? That girl wasn’t even able to use her newfound powers completely!

 

  
Flowey discovered this after letting her go at the Ruins’ entrance. Resets _only_ came when she died. No loads. Only saves. And she always seemed so… unsure about it. The way she blankly stared at the air, how confused she was every time she came back from the dead.  It was as if she weren’t doing it on purpose or something. Was it because she was a monster? Was it because she was an idiot?

 

It didn’t matter. It only made everything better; it only made _him_ happier. Because he could toy with her as much as he wanted - he could drive her to despair, to the edge of death - and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. No resets to take a different path and avoid him. Nothing could save her. She was at his mercy.

 

 

And oh, boy, did he enjoy that feeling.

 

 

It’s not as if Flowey was trying to mess with Athela’s mind or anything. In fact, he wasn’t really thinking of the full consequences of his actions. Not liked he cared anyway. He just wanted new things, and so he was assertive enough to push the skeleton’s limits as much as he could. If he didn’t do that, she would keep it short and predictable, and even if that was also new to him, it would be… boring.

 

It was such a shame that she was so weak. She couldn’t fight properly, nor defend herself, so the options of what he could use her for were appallingly scarce. He _tried_ to push her to the murderous route so she could gain a little bit of LV, but she was a monster; what could be expected of someone like that? Obviously, her human side was too weak to push her to kill others. Flowey would’ve expected someone that had been raised by humans to be much more… vicious and violently-inclined.

 

But alas, it was not meant to be.

 

 

This had downsides, like less killing, for example. What was a good game without a few deaths? At least she died enough herself to make it a little entertaining. Still, this closed the door to certain outcomes… so Flowey would have to choose other paths.

 

However, on the other hand, her weak and lenient (and yet kinda rude) personality was perfect for other things. She was easier to control, and Flowey was in no danger of dying at her hands. So that was that. Now he was even more god-like. And without any human SOULs!

 

Ah, how good it was to feel powerful.

 

 

Stifling a loud snicker, Flowey recalled the previous five forced loads. Yes, he called them forced loads, because he had arrived to the conclusion that Athela had nothing to do with them. She didn’t know she was using them, and she seemed to get headaches (her way of saving, somehow?) when she wasn’t even touching the save point. So the saving was involuntary too. Maybe not automatic, and sometimes not really unintentional but, at any rate, it was clearly uncontrolled. Her resetting powers were completely messed up.

 

How amusingly useless she was.

 

He recalled the first reaction. She woke up next to the save point and then stood there, frozen, for minutes. Then she yelled, and threw another temper tantrum. Her voice was so hoarse and tired, you’d think she had already been yelling for hours. How curious and droll. Flowey was disappointed because this time there was no lightshow. But still, seeing someone so desperate was funny.

 

 

Why are you calling your mommy, Athela?

 

No one’s going to come.

 

No one will save you.

 

 

Of course, nobody came. And Flowey just watched, because… well, obviously she wasn’t calling for _him_ , right? Hehe. He was content with just watching it all unfold... for now, of course.

 

 

The girl’s subsequent drive to keep going was also amusing. Flowey could almost read her mind. She didn’t want to walk further anymore; she oh-so-obviously wanted someone to help her, lift her up, and take her away from there. Some white knight in shining armor or something, for sure. She was surely scared, too, because she couldn’t see anything; understandable. Flowey only thought her blindness made everything more interesting, like a game of hide and seek, but she wasn’t as fun to be around as he was.

 

And despite all that dragging her down, in the end, she stood up again.

 

 

Amazing.

 

 

That determination...

 

 

It was one of the things Flowey liked the most about her. She was always ready to stand up again. Sometimes with encouragement, and sometimes without it. Knowing that she would surely die, she would stand up again and continue. This time, blindly. She still stood up.

 

And then she died.

 

 

Of course she died. She didn’t even know where she was going. She fell off a cliff sooner than Flowey could say “howdy”. That got a snicker out of him. Oh man, that was surely gonna hurt! He would look down, but… his sight wasn’t good enough to let him see all the way to the bottom of the cliff. What a shame.

 

And then, the next temper tantrum began.

 

 

It was shorter this time. And more… civilized, somehow. She didn’t yell as loud, and most of the time she was just trying to calm herself down. After half an hour or so it did work.

 

 

And then she tried again.  
  
And again.

 

And again.

 

 

 

This was her fifth try. The dumb skeleton was just there, sitting down, surely freezing her ass off as she wept silently. She was definitely crying, but it was not like he could see it with her puffy hair covering her face like that.

 

She had been like that for more time than usual… did she give up? No, no way.

 

 

Certainly, she was forming a new plan in her surely nonexistent brain. Flowey couldn’t wait to see what she was planning. Maybe she wanted to wait right next to the save point till someone appeared and noticed her. Hmm… that wouldn’t do.

 

He would do something about it if that was the case.

 

 

…

 

 

…

 

 

 

Boy, sometimes waiting was pure hell. And he was actually freezing more than she was, because at least she could feel the save point’s warmth. Since Flowey lost his reset powers, he had not been able to see or feel them. It was so cold…

 

As he shivered, he noticed she was also shivering. Was the cold really that bad for her?

 

 

“… Flowey.” The golden flower almost let out a squeak when he heard his ‘name’ being called. Did she see him?? No, wait… that made no sense. Did she somehow feel his presence? Nah, she wasn’t that smart nor perceptive. Maybe he made a sound and she heard… “Flowey? Are… are you there? Somewhere?”

 

 

Oh. No, she was just calling for him.

 

What an idiot.

 

…

 

Wait, why would she call for him?

 

 

“Flowey… I know you’re there. You’re always there.” Athela called again when she was met by silence. She was persistent, just like that.

 

  
Flowey could’ve just let her talk to the air. That would surely make her more nervous than she was, and she already was a freaking mess. But… he was bored. And really curious as per why the skeleton was calling his name.

 

So he approached her.

 

 

“Yeees~?” He cooed, rubbing a leaf on the girl’s leg. That made her jolt and squeak, and it was funny. He should do that more often. “Golly! Is my very best friend already missing me~? How are you doing, pal? I see you’re doing pretty well, but I doubt you can actually say the same about me~” He chuckled as his usual creepy smile crept on his face, irrepressible as always.

 

“…” She stood silent for a while. Surely, she had to be thinking about the thousands of ways to sassily reply back; she had been really feisty lately. Which was also sidesplitting, if Flowey did say so himself. And he said so.

 

“Don’t be shy! What is it that you need? A good, big ol’ CRUSHING hug? Is that what you want from me~?” Obviously, Flowey’s tone was scornful. Knowing Athela hated his guts, it was even funnier to act this way, cheerfully and playfully. With confidence, Flowey could say it grinds her gears.

 

 

However… her expression, which should’ve been a scared, nervous one… was blank. Seriously. The flower shut up as he looked at her face, trying to analyze it. The lack of eye feedback made it even more difficult, jeeze. No more pupils contracted by fear, no more lights. Nothing. And now, even her mouth was shut.

 

What was her deal?

 

 

“… Yes.” Athela’s answer made Flowey stay rooted and confused for a moment. He blinked, bewildered.

 

“Er… excuse me?” He managed to spit out. He kind of got lost there. Did she just say that she wanted… a hug? No folly-whipping way. Maybe she REALLY was stupid. “Oh, pardon my manners… I’m not sure you got my snarky, smart wordplay. With the word CRUSHING.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“As in… crushing hug. Because I will crush you. Probably to death, since you happen to be such a weak… wait. What?” That also caught him off-guard. He couldn’t understand any single word that Athela was spewing with that idiotic skeleton mouth of hers. Had she finally gone mad??

 

“I do want you to do that.” She repeated, with an unsettlingly calm voice.

 

“Wow. It seems like you crossed that thin line between stupidity and sheer insanity,” Flowey insulted her again as he thought of something to say. He failed, because the situation was beyond surreal. “So… do you want to DIE?” He asked, cocking his head to one side.

 

“…” Of course, she didn’t answer. Maybe it was too difficult to say it out loud.

 

“I see. I get it.” He nodded, smirking. “You just got tired of this game of ours, and want to quit. Is that it?”

 

“… I don’t like this ‘game’.” She answered, simple and honest. However, her voice was trembling a little. She continued talking before Flowey could retort with some assuredly amazing comment. “I can’t. I can’t do this. I don’t… see anything. I remember the place, more or less, but… but I still don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know where I’m going. And even if I get to the cross puzzle, I won’t be able to solve it, because I can’t remember how I solved it. I won’t be able to do it. I’ll just freeze to death again while I try.”

 

“Huh.” Flowey listened, interested. Looks like she had been doing more than just walking around blindly. No pun intended, hehe.

 

“S-so… if I am going to die no matter what I do… I don’t see the point in… continuing.” Her voice was trembling. She seemed completely hopeless, desperate. Desperate enough to ask Flowey to kill her, apparently.

 

 

Oh.

 

So maybe Flowey _had_ pushed her a bit too far.

 

 

It was true that she couldn’t solve the following puzzles in her state, and that she would either fall down a cliff or freeze to death while trying. And that was not counting the possibility of a monster just entering the scene and killing her with an innocuous attack.

 

But… was she really going to give up like that? Did she get to an impasse?

 

Well… that was disappointing.

 

 

“So… is that all you can do? You didn’t think of any alternatives, like… waiting here for someone, or… something?” Flowey was… let down. Just a second ago he was complimenting her determination, and now she was like this. Well, maybe she just needed a little lift…

 

…

 

Not from him.

 

 

“Nobody is going to come. No one ever does…” She replied, shivering. Sadly. Seems like all hope was lost. The darkness inside of her had been spreading more and more each time…

 

Seems like Flowey didn’t realize she had a limit.

 

 

“… You’re an idiot.” He frowned, feeling angrier by the second. He didn’t want her to _really_ give up. Technically, she _could_ do it. Her determination would fade away, and the resets would no longer work. She would turn to dust forever. And Flowey could keep the SOUL and regain his resets powers, but…

 

That would leave him alone in this boring, eventless world. He didn’t want that. Not so soon.

 

 

 

Athela didn’t reply to Flowey’s anger. She was feeling gloomier than usual, alright. But Flowey didn’t get it. Was blindness such a handicap? He… didn’t really expect that.

 

 

He needed to continue his little game.

 

 

Maybe… maybe he could scare her.

 

 

“… You know what will happen once I kill you?” As he giggled, Flowey made his stem grow larger and larger. Smirking, he wrapped the skeleton with it, slowly, as if he were a snake. Feeling her shivers, he felt even more powerful than he usually felt. She was at his mercy. She was so scared. He let out a little, cute laugh. “Once I kill you, you will really die. Because you’ve given up, and that means your determination won’t help you anymore. Then, you’ll face the void that is death, and your resetting powers will go back to me.”

 

“T-to you?” Athela seemed surprised to hear that. Apparently, she didn’t know. Of course, what was there to be expected from an idiot like her? She couldn’t link the fact that Flowey was the only being that remembered resets with the reset power itself. What a stupid creature she was.

 

“Yes. To me.” It didn’t matter anyway. He had already encircled the skeleton like a noose. He strengthened his grip, and Athela gasped in pain. “I will reset to the moment you came here. To the moment where you could still see the world around you. Isn’t that nice?”

 

“W-wait, why… ghh… how can you…?” She tried to wriggle free. But oh, he was not going to let her go.

 

“That doesn’t matter now, Athela.” He interrupted her, saying her name with that sweet, poisonous voice of his, because he knew how much she hated it. “Once we’re back at that moment, I’ll kill you again. And again. And again. Until your eyes are covered in flowers once more. And you’ll walk through the Ruins completely blind.” He laughed evilly, enjoying the desperate look on her face. “Oh, don’t think of it as anything personal. You know how much I hate to repeat things. That will only make it more… interesting.”

 

“N-no! No, please…!” She yelled. It was great to see how she tried to break free. It brought Flowey nice memories…

 

In fact… what he just said… that wasn’t actually a bad idea. If his plan of scaring her didn’t work and she gave up anyway, he could do just that! And then, if she reached her breaking point again, he would just reset once more and let her repeat everything, just so she could get further…then, he would see more choices, different results.

 

 

It sounded wonderful. Oh, he was such a genius.

 

 

“Do you expect any different?” He chuckled, his joy being Athela’s pain. “I never said you could quit, friend! Then I would be bored and have nothing to do! Would you like that, huh?” He stopped to think for a moment. “Wait, maybe you don’t really care. You’re not a nice friend, no, no.”

 

“Y-you’re not my friend…” She hissed, trying to sound menacing. But she was scared. Oh, she was so scared.

 

“Hee hee hee… then why ask me for help? You idiot.” His creepy smile grew larger. Athela couldn’t see him do that, but surely she could feel the change on his voice.

 

“B-because… I thought you could… help… n-no, well…” The skeleton girl stuttered, definitely terrified. “Because… I thought you wouldn’t mind killing me once more… I thought… I thought that’s what you wanted, I… I didn’t know you could…”

  
“What? Oh, golly, what a grave misunderstanding!” Another chuckle from Flowey. Seems like Athela had gotten it all wrong, wrong, wrong!

 

“Huh…?” She was trembling more violently now. Flowey explained himself.

 

“No, no! I don’t want you _dead_ , Athela! Why would you think that?” The flower rested his head on Athela’s hair as he kept talking, amused, feigning innocence. He knew she wanted to object in a hundred different ways, because she just didn’t get it. “No, I want you to live, so you can play with me! That’s why I’ll revive you, over and over again~”

 

 

Surely she didn’t understand his feelings.

 

Nobody did, after all.

 

  
“In any case…” He continued, seeing that Athela didn’t have the bravery to answer to him any longer. “After what I said, do you still want to die… and give _me_ the control over the timeline~?”

 

“…” Athela surely was thinking hard. Her teeth were clenched tight, and she was trembling. The idea of Flowey toying with her… hehe. Certainly she didn’t like that. Flowey knew this. If he was lucky, she could get the bait and would continue their game.

 

 

His idea of a blind run through the Ruins wasn’t bad, but he would prefer to keep playing around in their current run for a bit more. Giving up was lame.

 

“Sooo~?” He further pressured Athela’s bones. “If you don’t answer, don’t mind if I start this myself~”

 

“… You’re just going to kill me anyway, no matter what I answer, right?” She didn’t even struggle anymore. She realized it was pointless.

 

“Don’t insult me.” He giggled. “If you want to live, I’ll let you go!”

 

 

…

 

 

Weeeell…

 

 

Maybe he wouldn’t.

 

 

But she didn’t have to know that.

 

 

 

 

Once again, she resorted to silence. What could that puny skeleton mind be thinking about? Did the idea of freedom and recovering her eye sight excite her? Indeed, Flowey was offering a good deal, disregarding the part where he killed her enough to bring the flowers out again.

 

But really, it was a nice deal. Whether or not she took it depended on how much of an idiot she was.

 

 

After a few minutes that felt like hours for Flowey – he hated waiting, after all – she spoke:

 

  
“… I don’t care,” Athela looked serious. Flowey rose an eyebrow as she kept talking. “If I die now, it’ll all be over. And if you reset and do all that mean stuff to me… well, I care, but at least I know that Toriel is at the Ruins, so she could help me if I asked! She could get rid of you once and she could do it again! Anyway, it’s your loss.”

 

“Oooh~ I see. What a loathsome brat you are.” The flower nodded, not really angry; his voice was way too cheerful. Athela noticed this. “So you will ask Toriel for the help you didn’t ask for before abandoning her with your lies?”

 

“…” Oops, was he pouring salt on her wounds? Great.

 

“I see you have your plan sorted out.” That was enough intimidating for the time being, let’s get down to business. “So… I guess that’s enough talking for you?”

 

 

Athela didn’t look ready at all, her entire body was trembling and her head was low, trying to hide a dreadful expression. But she nodded anyway. She was trying so hard to be brave… come on, girl, that’s not how you are.

 

But really. That was enough.

 

That dumb kid was ready to die, so he would gladly comply. After all, best friends fulfill each other’s wishes! He patted Athela’s hair with one of his vines, in an act that might’ve seen as soothing by others, but not for Athela.

 

 

“Anyway…” Flowey kept patting Athela, probably because he knew that would make her nervous. “You were kind enough to ask me, so I’ll do this quick. Isn’t Flowey just the nicest~?”

 

 

Athela didn’t reply verbally. She didn’t do anything, she just… nodded.

 

 

Hehe.

 

What an idiot.

 

 

 

Flowey was somewhat sad, since the run was interrupted. But on the other hand… he would regain his reset powers for a little bit. That was always nice! And starting another game wasn’t such a tragedy. This was going to turn out so nicely~ or… so he hoped.

 

 

He made a swift movement to snap Athela’s neck.

 

 

Soon enough, he felt how she turned to dust. It was the first time he felt that from such a close distance. It was… mesmerizing. Seeing the dust blow away with the wind. Flowey smiled as he saw the flowers on her skull spread on the snow.

 

 

And then… he just waited to for his powers to come back.

 

 

**Athela - LV 1**  
**Snowdin – Spaghetti**  
**Nº Resets: 46**


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was approved by Sanei, the original author of Flowerfell!
> 
> Please enjoy! ^^

**Bloomtale**

**Chapter 18 – The Seeing Eye flower**

 

 

It was cold.

 

Was she dead? Is that how death felt like? Dark… lonely. And cold. Would make sense, would match some books she had read… at the time she had been alive. Because she was definitely dead, right?

 

She only had memories of darkness… and of a certain conversation with a certain flower. The feeling of his vines around her neck. He said that it would all end if she gave up. And she did. Of course she did. What else could she do? When you’re completely blind, in a dangerous world… what else can you do?

 

No one to help, nothing to do. It was the only option left, wasn’t it?

 

…

 

Flowey said… he would revive her. And then, he would do horrible things to her again. But that was okay, she was… used to it. Kind of.

…

  
Well, maybe she DIDN’T want him to do that. But at least she would have her eyes again, and it would be better, right?

 

In fact… maybe he already revived her. Athela was still in a limbo-state, not really wanting to open her eyes… but she had to. She needed to find out if the plan had worked. She slowly started feeling the world around her. She took a grip on her shirt, feeling a shiver going down her spine. Open your eyes, Athela…

 

And so she did.

 

 

But it was still dark.

 

 

“Wha…?” The poor, confused skeleton made a muddled noise, not really knowing what was going on. Where was she? Was she still…? Yes, she was still alive, of course she was. The usual growing headache made sure of making her remember how good it was to feel alive.

 

Sarcasm intended at the moment.

  
She couldn’t see a thing… and it was still cold. That could only mean one thing.

 

“Huh. You little liar,” it was not long until a familiar voice made her squeak in distress. Of course, he was there too. He always was. “You said you gave up, didn’t you?”  
  
“…” Athela stood silent, not really knowing what to say. She didn’t understand. She really did; she had no hope of survival, she knew there was nothing to do. So… of course she gave up.  
  
“Hey, did you lose your voice too? Because if you haven’t, you better answer.” Now the flower sounded annoyed. Athela couldn’t quite put her finger on where he was at the moment… her echolocation wasn’t the best. Maybe it would improve with time.  
  
“Y-yes, I… I gave up. I don’t… I don’t understand…” She managed to mutter. She didn’t want to be there anymore. Why was she still there, then?  
  
“Hmm…” Flowey groaned, and then there were a few seconds of pure silence. Athela soon started feeling the freezing sensation of the bitter Snowdin cold. But she was near the save point, which provided a cozy, warming light. Light she couldn’t even see. However, she still felt the warmth, so she was fine. “Maybe it didn’t work because you didn’t feel it enough…” he continued after the pause.  
  
“I… I don’t know…” She just didn’t know anything. And it was so tiring…

  
“I know! We could try again!”

 

Oh no.

No, no, not again.

 

“W-wait, I…” Athela blabbered, not wanting to feel another death but too unsure to really formulate a proper complain.

“Oh, don’t be such a crybaby. You just have to wish you were dead even harder! Then it’ll work!” The vines again. The vines going up her body again. No, no, what a horrible feeling, get them off, get them off!! She tried wriggling, but to no avail. Flowey had her firmly gripped. “Come on, concentrate on the thought.”  
  
“I…”  
  
“No one will help you. No one will save you. And you can’t continue on your own,” he kindly reminded her of her doom-ish situation. She felt another shiver… and she also felt like crying, but no tears were coming out. It sucked.

 

Oops, bad word.

 

…

 

Oh, who cared anymore?

 

“Ready?” She heard a soft giggle. Of course the little psycho enjoyed the situation. He was surely eager to get his powers back, wasn’t he?

  
Even though Athela didn’t really get it… how did that work? Flowey also had resetting powers? Or at least he had them before she came? But he seemed fine… as in, no flowers on his… oh wait, he WAS a flower. Maybe that was a bit insensitive. Like, could a flower grow flowers on his body?

 

…

 

Or maybe he turned into a flower when he had too many flowers??

 

Oh, oh no, that sounded really creepy and terrifying. Athela didn’t want to become a psycho flower. Jeeze, what a nightmare.

  
…

 

But no, that sounded totally wrong. That surely was not how it worked. Surely…

 

“I asked if you’re ready. Jeeze, I’m trying to help here, at least answer me, you skeleton!”  
  
“Oh! S-sorry, I… I was…” Athela felt guilty for being silent for so long. She sometimes wandered off in her thoughts for too long. And she was sorry, even though she shouldn’t be because Flowey was a horrible person and he didn’t deserve her apologies. “It… it doesn’t matter.”

  
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Oh, he sounded impatient for once. Athela spent her last seconds thinking about that, before she felt again her bones snapping.

 

 

At least it was a quick death, she thought as she felt her whole body turning into dust.

 

 

“…”

 

Dark.

 

Ice-cold.

 

 

No, it didn’t work. She was still there.

 

“Why? It SHOULD work! It worked with the others!” Athela was surprised when she heard annoyed hissing. Was Flowey angry?

 

Wait, what others?

 

“F-Flowey…” She started muttering, but she stopped when she felt the headache again. Oh, it hurt… was it, by any chance, getting more painful? Or maybe it was just her being too tired?

  
“Again! Let’s try again!” He was almost yelling. Why was he so angry? He sounded impatient, too…

 

Athela would’ve thought more about it, but the feeling of something piercing her skull stopped her train of thought. It had been too quick to even scream.

 

It all went black… and it was painful…

 

Until she felt alive again. Alive and blind. And cold.

 

“No! Why??” An angry voice. “Are you sure you’re wishing it enough??”  
  
“Y-yes!!” She quickly replied back. Between deaths and timelines, she was too confused to locate herself at the moment… they were… still at Snowdin… right?

 

Ow, the headache…

 

While the pain was still up, Athela felt a vine around her arm. That was… unexpected, and definitely not welcome. She couldn’t deal with so many emotions at once… she just died twice in less than two minutes… please, a break…

  
…

  
Of course not.

 

“Maybe you’re too useless to even lose grip of your determination.” Flowey hissed right next to her. She shivered, completely terrified. “Or perhaps I have to do it slowly. There are too many options here.”  
  
“P-please, stop… it’s not… it’s not working.” She said, feeling like crying once more. Luckily, the headache was going away, so she had some time to recover.  
  
“It HAS to work. I know this has worked before, so it should work with YOU too.” He did sound angry. Athela could only imagine that he was nervous because his plans weren’t working that well.  
  
“What are you talking about? What others?” Athela wanted to know. Did Flowey know for sure it would work? Did he kill more people? Or heard about this happening before? But if it had worked for others… why wasn’t it working for her? Maybe Flowey was wrong…  
  
“…” Flowey went silent.

 

And then, with no warning whatsoever, another bullet pierced her head.

 

  
“Nope. It doesn’t work,” now Flowey’s voice sounded casual. Uninterested. Tired, even. Athela hissed, annoyed because that last death hadn’t really been necessary.  
  
“Didn’t we know that already?” She groaned, sort of angry. “You didn’t have to do… owwwww…” Damn headache.

 

Another bad word. Oh, well.

 

“Hee hee… sorry, but I just couldn’t resist.” He said, gleefully. Athela didn’t hear anything else while she held her skull, in pain. But when it calmed down and she tried to stand still, the flower continued. “Well. Looks like you’re stuck here for some reason.”  
  
“You don’t say…” The skeleton groaned again. She didn’t like how things were going.  
  
“That sounds more like the Athela I know. Sassy and dumb,” another giggle. That flower really got on her nerves sometimes, but… calm down, Athela. No need to say something truly dumb and cause yet another death. Breathe…  
  
“…” Breathing complete. “So… what now?” She said, really lost.  
  
“Well, you only have two options left. Staying here to die, or keep going… to die.”  
  
“…” Athela fell silent again. The situation was awful to say the least. “I… I think I’ll stay here,” she said after some thinking time. Of course, the answer didn’t please Flowey.  
  
“That’s boring,” he groaned.  
  
“I’ll stay alive longer if I do that,” the skelly sat on the floor and shrugged. She didn’t really care anymore.  
  
“Unless I kill you right here right now,” Flowey hissed. The threat kinda worked… but not completely.  
  
“Well, then we’ll be stuck in an endless loop of resets. You’ll get bored of that too.” It was a bluff for the most part. Dying wasn’t peaceful, of course, but she didn’t have anything to lose by dying. She didn’t have anything to gain by continuing.

  
…  


Silence.

  
Silence made Athela nervous. She didn’t know what was happening, she couldn’t see a thing. Did Flowey leave? Was he still there? Both options were bad, actually. She didn’t want to be alone… and she didn’t want Flowey to be there. What a conundrum.

  
After what felt like an eternity for Athela, Flowey spoke again, and she felt at ease.   
More or less.

 

“Look. Games are boring if you don’t play them,” he started.  
  
“Exactly. I can’t play. I’m blind, remember?” She said, pointing at the flowers in her eyes. She didn’t even know if there were more… she touched the area, softly. Apparently there weren’t any more flowers outside. Or at least, not more than she could remember.  
  
“Stop being so sassy,” the flower hissed again. He did sound irritated. Surely it was because Athela could not play his ‘game’ anymore. “So you’re saying you need someone to guide you? A charming fellow who would sacrifice their valuable time just to help a stranger? Get real, that won’t happen.”  
  
  
He… was right. No one would ever come to help. No one ever did.  
  
  
The only person who had ever given her a helping hand was Toriel, and… well, Napstablook too. But no one else. Her phone buddy could help… if she was even able to see the buttons on her phone. She couldn’t call anyone like that. She wasn’t sure she could even take a call like that.

 

What could she even do…?

 

…

 

…

 

Athela just hugged her knees, too blocked to continue. Her mind was blank, too. She just focused on the silence, since there was nothing else she could do. Just… listening. To silence. Truly an amazing thing to do. Also freeze her butt. But that was less pleasing.  
  
  
…  
  
  
It was boring. But boredom was better than death.

 

 

 

…  
  
  
Apparently not for Flowey.

 

 

“Okay, okay!!” He yelled, startling the poor skeleton, who wasn’t expecting that. She shook her head and listened, trying to look in the flower’s direction. “I can’t believe I’m doing this… ugh, I hate you.”  
  
“What…?” Athela was lost. What was he talking about?  
  
“Get up, come on,” he ordered, his voice sounding REALLY annoyed. So upset, that Athela took a second to react.  
  
“W-wait, what are you saying? Why are you…?” She started talking, but immediately shut up when she felt vines around her waist. Not again…!

  
The vines lifted her up… and…

 

Put her on the floor?

  
  
Athela’s legs bent and she almost fell on her butt, but the vines gripped her firmly, lifted her again and gave a little painful squeeze. She shrieked at the sudden sting, and heard a growl coming from below.

 

“I told you to get up! Come on, stand still. Don’t make this more difficult for us than it already is!” He said, still as annoyed as before. Athela didn’t really get it, but she did as she was told. Still as a stick, her feet were placed on the floor… “Yes, good. Legs still, up you go. It wasn’t so difficult, was it?”  
  
“What are you doing?” Athela asked, legitimately confused. She didn’t want to walk to her death again…  
  
“What do you think I’m doing? Snowdin Town isn’t really THAT far away from here, so… I will… ugh… _help_ you,” it sounded as if he were actually repulsed by that idea, so… that meant… he was serious?  
  
  
The skeleton took a few seconds to fully get what that meant. It was so… bizarre and unexpected, indeed.  
  
  
“Wait, really??” She couldn’t believe it. No, she didn’t trust him. He wouldn’t really help, would he? Or was he that desperate to keep his game going?  
  
“Shut up,” she heard him hissing. “Once you get to the town, you’ll get your own seeing eye dog. And then the game will continue! But for now, if I want you to move your useless ass, I guess I’ll have to do something. We’re at an impasse.”  
  
“So… you’re going to help me,” Athela sounded skeptical, naturally.  
  
“Look. I want this game to get going. And you want to see… oh, sorry. You want to _meet_ your mom again, don’t you?” He didn’t sound truly apologetic, but snarky… however, Athela didn’t care.

 

She had forgotten about her mom.

 

How could she do that? It was the only reason –well, if she didn’t count Flowey– of why she wanted to get out of that mountain in the first place. Why she abandoned Toriel at the Ruins. She was what kept her going altogether. Her smile… would she ever see it again?  
  
She truly was a horrible child. She had been so worried about herself, she didn’t even think about how worried her mother should be. Athela had been away from home for days now. She had to… go back, find her. Tell her everything would be fine.

 

Athela needed to keep going.  
  
  
“Ouch,” the skeleton quickly brought her hands to her temples as soon as she felt a pressing pain on the back of her skull.  
  
“Wow. Rude. Ignoring my words and saving all of a sudden,” Flowey hissed at her again.  
  
“N-no, no, I… I’m sorry, I just… didn’t expect you to…”  
  
“To help? Well, I don’t see any other options right now. So just stand still, follow my directions, and remember them well. Because I will only say them once. Understood?”  
  
  
Wow.

 

Flowey sure was bossy when he wanted to be.

  
But of course, Athela was not going to complain. She was… still cynical, but Flowey liked their game too much to just leave her stranded in the middle of the woods apparently.

 

However…

 

“And what about later on?” She asked.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I mean… I’ll still be blind when we get to the town. I can’t really play like this…” She stated, worried. Of course, Flowey would not help her forever… it would defeat the point of the game.  
  
“Oh, don’t worry. I know of someone that can help you.” Flowey sounded… happy. Suddenly, Athela didn’t trust this anymore. “You just have to play the right cards.”  
  
“Cards?”  
  
“… It was an expression, you numbskull.” The flower groaned. “You really are an idiot.”  
  
  
Athela felt insulted. But she was already used to it, so she just let it go. She was more worried to what was coming up next. How would Flowey exactly help…?

 

“Okay, that’s enough talking, let’s get to it!” Yes, that was the signal. But… but!  
  
“Wait!” She interrupted him. That annoyed him, of course.  
  
“What now?” He groaned for at least the tenth time on that timeline.  
  
“Can you tell me what ‘others’ you were talking about before? Did you kill more people like me before?” She asked. Flowey was being really talkative, so maybe he would answer…  
  
  
…  
  
  
“Heh. No. No one like you.”

 

 

Wow, that sounded more sinister than Athela had expected it to sound like.  
  
  
  
“Oh.” She muttered. “But… then how…?”  
  
“Do you want me to help you, or do you want me to tell you this? Because I’ll only do one thing.” Flowey surely was impatient. Jeeze.  
  
“O-okay, help me here.” Athela would have to stick with the helping plan for now. But Flowey did like talking, so maybe he would tell her later.  
  
“Please.” He suddenly said, throwing her off bait.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Say ‘please’. It’s the least you can do when you ask someone for help, don’t you think?”  
  
  
Oh.

 

Oh you dang flower. You’re surely getting your fun out if this too, aren’t you?  
  
Great, now Athela was bitter.  
  
  
She heard giggling. Her face should’ve shown her annoyance.

 

…

 

“Okay… can you _please_ help me here?” Yes, she said it. It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be, to ask her killer to please help her. But it was still hard. Never again.  
  
  
Hm. Random thought.

  
Flowey killed her several times. Did that make him a serial killer? Hmm… but that meant he killed lots of people. Which wasn’t out of the question, but… referring only to herself… maybe instead of a serial killer, he was a several killer.  
  
Did that word exist? If not, she would invent it right now.  
  
  
“Very well~” Flowey seemed pleased. He went back to his bossy self. “As I said, I will only say each direction once. So pay attention and… try to remember them~”  
  
  
Oh well. That was going to be difficult, right?  
  
Athela took a deep breath before nodding. She felt nervous… and she couldn’t even glow her eyes to feel better. Could things get any worse?

 

Maybe.

 

“Okay. I placed you in the right direction, so… walk straight until I tell you to stop.” Flowey started with his directions. Athela lifted one foot… and then retreated it. She was trembling. She did NOT trust that flower.  
  
“…” The skeleton took another deep breath. She could do it. Come on. She would just walk really slowly…  
  
“Come on, we don’t have the whole day!”  
  
“Y-yes, I’m moving!” Sluggishly, she lifted her foot again, and this time she took one step. And then she took another. Slowly but steadily, she kept walking.  
  
  
The snow cracked under her feet. Athela could be walking to her doom again, but… she had no choice but to trust whatever that flower was saying.

 

She walked until her shoulder brushed against something… spiky.  
  
Startled, she jumped aside, causing Flowey to giggle.

 

“That’s just a tree, you silly~” Flowey seemed amused. Athela touched the twigs, wanting to make sure of it. Indeed, it was just a tree. But she didn’t have much time to admire the feeling of touching it, for Flowey rushed her again. “Now turn right. Come on, quick!”  
  
  
It was as if he knew she wanted to be careful with her steps and just tried to rush her for fun. She knew more or less where she was, though, so she could afford to walk a bit faster.

 

She walked forward, and her right foot brushed on what felt like a rock. Thank God she didn’t trip on it, she thought as she kept walking. And just how long would she have to keep…?

 

“Oof!” Poor Athela yapped in pain when she stumbled upon something hard and spiky. Another tree, surely. Flowey cackled openly when that happened, and it only made her feel worse about her clumsiness. What happened about being careful?  
  
  
The tree was also covered in snow… that was really, really cold… and she hated it so much. Now she was also feeling cold. Ghh.   
  
  
“Priceless,” Flowey giggled. Athela frowned. “Okay, keep going, just avoid the tree. Keep going.”  
  
  
She did so. Her feet soon stumbled across something soft and… cold.  
  
  
Ah, the snow map. Yes, there it was. Okay… she more or less had a mental image of the area, and that was good.  
  
  
“Now… I turn left, right?” She asked, uncertain. That got her a mocking sentence from the evil flower.  
  
“Very good! Golden star for you! At least you remember the area where you were a few hours ago!” So sarcastic, Athela felt bad for herself. But she couldn’t say anything… at least he was helping. Or so she hoped.  
  
  
She turned left. Walking, she noticed after a while how the floor changed. It sounded like wood… yes, that was the bridge she had crossed before. Very well. Whispering encouraging words to herself, she kept going.  
  
And kept going.  
  
…  
  
Wasn’t Flowey supposed to give directions…?  
  
  
She kept on walking. He would tell her when to turn, like he did before, right?  
  
…  


Well, he wasn’t saying anything.

  
The skeleton stopped. She didn’t trust this.  
  
  
“What are you doing? Don’t stop.” There he was. Okay, so he WAS doing something…  
  
  
Athela slowly started walking again.  
  
  
“… Ah!!” And then her feet didn’t find any ground to hold onto. Athela jerked her body backwards, trying to stay there and alive, but… she could not.

 

She fell to her doom.

 

  
“Wow. Your skull surely weighs a lot. You fell like a rock!”  
  
“…”  
  
“I thought you KNEW where you were. What an idiot. That’s what I get for trusting your sense of direction, I guess.”  
  
“… I hate you.” Athela hissed as she held her head again, bracing for the headache that was about to come.  
  
  
Ah, there it was.  
  
The sudden blast of pain was way stronger than before. It caught her off guard. Athela couldn’t stand still, she fell on her knees as she tried to suppress a yell.  
  
  
“Wow,” Flowey sounded amazed. “It looks like it hurts a lot.”  
  
“Why did I trust you…?” Athela was talking more to herself than she was talking to the flower.  
  
“Oh, come on, I thought you would turn right.” He snickered.  
  
“You could’ve warned me.” She hissed again.  
  
“I couldn’t help it~ oh, but… technically, I just told you to keep going. I never told you that you should continue FORWARD.”  
  
“… I hate you.” Athela repeated it. It was the second time she openly confessed her true feelings, and Flowey sounded flattered.  
  
“You’ll make me blush, stop it.” He laughed for a short time, and then continued talking, with his sassy voice back. “Okay, I’ll be good this time. You better remember what I told you, because I won’t repeat myself! I’ll wait for you at the bridge~”  
  
  
Athela heard some muffled sound, like digging, and then silence came back.  
  
  
Seems like she was on her own again. Oh well.  
  
  
It was a good thing that she remembered the way.  
  


And of course, she would use the things she found on the way there to guide herself. The tree… the rock… the… ouch. The other tree. Yes, she managed to stumble upon it AGAIN. And she had snow all over herself again. Yay! So cold…  
  
Sigh.  
  
The soft snow… and now turning left… the bridge. She walked forward for a bit, and then Flowey’s voice greeted her.  
  
  
“Very good! You didn’t die on your way here! I am amazed~” He said. Athela felt, surprisingly, a little bit better when she heard that. True, it was mostly mockery, but maybe he felt truly amazed, and in that case it would be flattery.  
  
  
She was a bit desperate for encouragement, it seems.

  
“… Now what?” Athela didn’t trust him anymore, so she would go really slowly this time. For real. She wished she had a stick or something to test the ground with…  
  
“Now walk a bit further… just a bit,” he told her. “Yes… okay, stop. Now, turn right.”  
  
“Oka… a… atchew!” The skeleton felt her bones rattling as she made that strange noise again. She shivered. The image of her mother doing something similar once came to her mind… however, her mother did a much louder noise, so… maybe it was not the same.  
  
“Don’t get sick on me. Surely a simple cold could kill you. It would be fun to see, but then we would be stuck on the same death loop and I’m not up to it…” Flowey was getting impatient, apparently, since he had decided to start pushing Athela forward with one of his vines.  
  
“W-wait! The puzzle!” Athela yelled, trying to get him to stop. There were spikes, if he kept pushing her on that direction…  
  
“Shut it. I already solved it, since you were taking so long to get here. It was easy enough anyway.”  
  
“Y… you did?”

 

Wow. She didn’t expect that. That was… actually nice. Indeed, the spikes weren’t there.  
  
  
“What? I was bored. And wasn’t I helping you? I’m your best friend, after all~” He sounded… uncomfortable. Not as naturally giggly as before. Athela wondered why.  
  
“Well, th-”  
  
“Don’t thank me,” the flower interrupted her. “I left the next puzzle just for you anyway. So go and enjoy it, okay~?”

  
Ugh.  
  
  
Athela wasn’t up to the challenge… she was feeling too cold, her flowers were complaining and sending shivers all across her body. It hurt… but what else could she do?  
  
She sighed and stumbled blindly once Flowey let her go. Her feet found some solid surface and Athela heard a ‘click’. The switch. And the hardened snow, right in front of her. She touched it, and immediately regretted it.  
  
  
“M-maybe I should head back and save…?” The impulse of saving all progress was strong. Of course, Flowey didn’t agree with her methods.  
  
“No. You do this puzzle and keep going.”  
  
“But I’m cold, and…” And that meant death.  
  
“See if I care,” he interrupted her rudely. “Come on, just solve it. I’ll even help you solve it; go to the snow that’s to your right and walk straight four steps. Come on.”  
  
  
Sighing, Athela did as Flowey said.  
  
From that moment on, it was all a series of confusing directions that the young lady had problems with. Up, right… then up… left? No, Athela, you screwed up.  
  
Go back and press the button. The puzzle restarts.  
  
Now go back to the same spot and walk again.  
  
  
Trial and error, trial and error.  
  
  
And also some intended misdirection on Flowey’s behalf. You know, just for the funsies.  
  
  
Athela was almost frozen up by the time she went to the button and pressed it for the final go.  
  
Finally, the puzzle was solved.  
  
“L-let me go back… I’m freezing, literally…” Athela begged. She felt her teeth clattering, and her head was hurting way too much. She spent a long time solving that puzzle, after all. The wind was getting wilder, too. If she didn’t get to the save point soon…  
  
“Don’t worry about minor details. There should be a save point not much further ahead… I think,” Flowey seemed unsure for once.  
  
“You _think_?” Athela wanted to cry again.  
  
“Well, it’s not like I can see them anymore!” Flowey tried to excuse himself. “Since a _certain someone_ stole my powers, now I can’t see them.”  
  
  
Oh.

  
So it was exactly as she thought. No one could see the save points but her. Also, no one could use the save points but her. Seemed logical. It felt good to have some verification.

  
Flowey kept talking.  
  
  
“Anyway, just continue. It shouldn’t be far, now. Not like it would be useful for you, hehe.”  
  
  
Athela had to agree. She wasn’t really confident about going back on her own… It was really scary to walk blindly, and she didn’t trust her sense of direction to go backwards. Also, just like Flowey said, last time she tried it, she just died on the way back.  
  
  
  
She stepped into the next room.

  
  
“I’ve never been here before… how is it like?” She asked, hoping for an answer.  
  
“Plain. Boring. Empty. Keep walking straight. It’s a loong~ road.” After that brief explanation of the room, Flowey just… stopped talking. Athela assumed he just went on ahead.  
  
  
She felt kind of… lonely. So she tried to rush on forward. Of course, she wasn’t careless. She placed her feet carefully on the floor in front of her, always alert, just in case he decided to trick her again. But it was not the case.  
  
Sadly, her legs were barely responding by the time she got to the next room.  
  
  
Athela managed to hear some dog whining before her legs failed. She fell on the floor, head first, with a weak scream.  
  
  
“Wow, already?” Flowey’s voice greeted her, startling her. “Well, see you on the other side, I guess… I hope you’re faster this time.”  
  
  
Athela let out a weak laugh as she felt her bones going numb…   


  
It was funny how it was always dark.

 

Athela let out a sour laugh as she hugged her bony legs, sitting down on the cold floor. Refusing to move.  
  
  
“Come on, you were so close this time,” Flowey had been trying to make her get up for a while now. Since she refused to move again.  
  
  
It had been two more deaths since she first died at that new room. The room she didn’t even manage to see for obvious reasons. The following time she tried to go back at the save point after solving the puzzle, but… it happened the same as before. It was too far and she was too tired and cold to move any further.  
  
So she died.  
  
  
And next time, she tried to solve the puzzle faster, but that only made her mess it up. Flowey laughed at her and she died on the next room.  
  
Athela had started thinking that death by freezing was not as bad. It wasn’t as painful as falling from a cliff. And it certainly was less painful than dying from crushing.  


But leaving death aside… she was doomed. Again. So she would not move.

 

  
“Liar.” She replied.  
  
“I’m not lying. And even if I were, the weather will only get worse if you stay here, so it’ll be harder for you to continue! Just go, you idiot!”  
  
“I will die anyway, won’t I?” She was kinda hopeless.   
  
“No… come on, it’s been almost an hour now. Hey, guess what… if you move now, I’ll solve the first puzzle for you. Deal?” The evil flower was kind of tired of this pulling. “Do it for your dear mother, Athela~”

  
Ugh.  
  
She hated it when he used her as a motive to keep his game going.  
  
  
But… her mother WAS worth the pain.  
  
In her mind, she managed to get out of there and she found her mom. Then she got her eyesight back and they were happy ever after. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?  
  
…  
  
She stood up.  
  
  
“I hate you.” She said for the third time that day.  
  
“Good. If that keeps you going~” And he was happy again.  
  
  
Of course, he disappeared a few seconds after. He had said it before, he would never repeat his directions twice. Good thing Athela was being careful and that she had recognizable points she could count on to keep going. If not, she would’ve surely been doomed from the very start.  
  
…  
  
Well, she WAS doomed already. But at least she had to try, right…?  
  
  
  
Of course, the road was not different. Slow, and cold. Poor Athela was too mentally tired to keep going at a fast pace, even if being slow was lethal for her. As Flowey mentioned before, the wind was getting worse, and she had to cover her eyes more than once so no snowflakes would cause her pain.  
  
  
Like that, it was hard to keep her balance and solve the second puzzle correctly… she took more time than expected.  
  
But she solved it anyway. The ‘click’ that sounded when the button was pressed and the spikes were lowered brought her great satisfaction. Athela managed to crack a smile as she went forward again.  
  
The smile faded once she realized that she would die soon.  
  
  
“Come on, just keep going, I’m sure you’ll find a save point soon. It SHOULD be around here, if my memory isn’t as bad as yours. Oh, wait. It’s not.” Flowey chuckled as Athela kept walking.  
  
  
It felt like she had been walking forever.  
  
  
The wind was too strong.

 

She cried in pain when some snow entered her eyes. The flowers were withering…  
  
Too late…  
  
  
She fell to the floor, whimpering. Giving up again.  
  
  
Flowey rushed to her side. But she didn’t see him. It was all obscure.  
  
  
“Come on, move. Not this again.” For once, he seemed… concerned?  
  
“No. I can’t.” She whispered. She was still holding up with her arms, but… she just let herself fall on the floor. It was useless delaying it any further.  
  
“But if you just… oops!”

 

…

 

…

 

“Flowey…?” Athela called for him, confused. What happened? ‘Oops’, what? What was that about? Did he hurt himself?

 

…

 

It didn’t matter anyway… it would all be gone in a few minutes, so… better just let it go.

 

Or that’s what she thought, but… suddenly, she could hear cries coming from far away. A voice… that was getting closer, and closer.  
  
Who…?  
  
He sounded worried. Was he asking if she was okay? Athela could barely hear him, for the world around her was starting to fade. But she felt how she was being lifted from the ground…that new person… he held her close, and… it felt as if he were running… but… who was he? And… where…?

 

Where was he taking her?

  
Athela fainted before she had the time to think about it.  


**Athela - LV 1  
??????  
Nº Resets: 53**


	19. Chapter 19

**Bloomtale**   
**Chapter 19 – The suspect**

 

 

Softness... warmth...

Athela opened her eyes slowly, hoping to see some light, a ray of sunshine, the trees of her home's forest... but she only got to see that familiar darkness she was already so used to.

That meant she was still underground. Well, of course... there was no way out, was there?

  
The young monster sighed, her mind still quite foggy form waking up, and moved her arm upwards, ready to take impulse and stand up; she had probably passed out in the snow again.

...

Her hand, however, found some resistance.

What... what was that? It felt like a blanket...

...

  
Wait a second.

  
She froze in place, confused and rattled. Not daring to make another movement; she had yet to analyze the situation. What was happening? Where was she? Did... did she die? But if that was the case, where was she now?? That wasn't snow, the air wasn't cold...

Cautiously, the skeleton moved her shoulders and neck, only to find out that her head was resting on something really soft. The surface she was lying on creaked softly as it slightly sunk, fluffiness and warmth filling her now cozy bones.

  
"Wha...?" Athela's voice felt rusty; her throat sore. She coughed, trying to get rid of the soreness, but it only got worse. Ugh. Well, whatever.

  
After making a few more movements, she arrived to some important conclusions. First of all: she wasn't dead. She wasn't back at the last save point and the usual headache didn't greet her, so she had probably survived the cold. She knew little more but one other thing: she was on a bed.

Where exactly? She didn't know.

How did she get there? She didn't know either, nope.

  
The last thing she had managed to recall so far... was that Flowey disappeared. And that she fainted... so, was she dead? Was this limbo? If that was the case, she would like to speak to God or whoever was in charge, because she was still unable to see a thing and it was very annoying.

...

No, wait.

She remembered now. Someone picked her up and ran. Did... did that person bring her to safety? Who was that person? Oh, if that was true she would have to thank them immensely.

 

So she was alive and safe. That... she almost couldn't believe it. It was too good to be true, in fact! Not like she didn't trust anyone nor anything anymore, but... why? It was not the first time she arrived to that spot, so why did someone appear? Did Flowey do something?

...

Unlikely. Highly unlikely.

  
Well, her glee would have to keep its cool until she actually found someone. Clearly there was no one there with her, so she would have to go look for the person who brought her there. Or... wait until they appeared. But Athela didn't want to wait, she felt too anxious.

  
She felt awful in general, to be honest. Her head was pounding, her bones were aching... but she felt good enough to stand up, so she got to the edge of the bed, thinking about the person who saved her. All her clothes were still on her, minus her shoes. She would find them eventually... maybe they were next to the bed. Just kneel down and... no... not there either...

...

...

Ah, there. Those felt like her boots. She carefully put them on and stood up, cautious. She still didn't know a thing about the place she was at, so she oughta be careful. She also needed to see if there was someone around to guide her, or at least to greet her.

  
"Hello...?" Oh no, there it was again. It was painful to speak... why? Was it the flower's fault? Was it... what was it? She coughed again, unvoluntarily, and felt even more like she had just fallen flat form the bed instead of just normally getting off it.

 

Shaking her head softly, she took one step forward. The floor was hard, probably wood, like the one on her own house. Athela moved her arms erratically, looking for any obstacle that she could crash onto. Eventually she found... a wall. Well, that was something, she could follow it to the door. Then, she would probably find someone... hopefully, at least.

Slowly, she got to the so desired door.

Hello, door. Are you closed?

  
No, you're not.

With a creak, the wooden piece opened, and now Athela was even more lost than before. Was she in a hallway, did she get outside....? Wait, no, not outside, it was too warm for it to be outside.

  
If she was still in Snowdin, that is. Maybe she was in another area... knowing how different the Ruins were from the forest, she wouldn't find strange another sudden change in temperature. The underground was a mysterious place...

  
The skelly called for help, again.

  
But nobody came.

  
Sighing, and clasping her neck with one hand, she tried to find a way out. Following the wall would be easy enough. Just how big was that place...? Ah, there you go, Athela, one step at a time. Good. Maybe find another door and...

Wait.

The floor suddenly disappeared...??

 

  
**Oh no.**

* * *

 

"Oh my GOD, I can't believe you died! What happened??" Flowey's laugh and the bitter cold greeted Athela after some minutes of darkness and headache.

  
She just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, cry and cry a lot.

  
Why did this happen to her? Now that she was safe and warm, why...? Why?? Oh, the rage was building up so fast, she might just yell so loud even her mother would be able to hear her from outside that hellish place.

Or... well, she could've done it, if not for the sudden feeling of her head being about to explode.

  
"Gah!" With a weak cry, the skelly held her head and closed her eyes with force, trying to resist the pain.

"Hey, hey, tell me what happened!" Flowey poked Athela insistently. That, plus the enormous headache that suddenly assaulted her made the poor skeleton curl up in a ball and whine, both from pain and disgust.

  
Flowey just sighed upon this and retreated his vine. He wanted to know everything, since he hadn't been there to watch first-hand, but... yeah, her annoying headaches –those now were also annoying for Flowey too because; come on! leave already and let him know what he wants to know!– were in the way. Better just wait it out.

Flowey could wait.

 

"..." Athela could finally think clearly again. It had been just a moment, but for her it had felt like a whole hour. Was the pain getting worse? If that was the case... she was done for. Or she would be, if the resets kept coming.

  
Anywho, now she could be a decent person, not curse mentally and talk properly. She patted her hair, cleaning it from snow and other things that might've gotten stuck there during her little floor struggle, and then faced the direction she thought Flowey was. There was no way to know if it was the right direction though.

  
"Soooo?" The little weed sounded impatient. Like he couldn't wait to know the end of the last horror show. "Come on, tell me. How did you die now? Was the cold too much and you ended up passing out? Did someone try to hurt you?"

  
Flowey was making up so many theories in his mind. He even thought, for a second, that a small white dog might've showed up and stole one of her limbs and then she died. That would've been funny.

But nothing prepared him for what she would say next.

  
"I... think I fell down some stairs..." Athela managed to mutter. It was... embarrassing enough. She would've preferred to keep it to herself, jeeze. But who knows what the flower would do if she didn't satisfy his curiosity.

"Wha... the... the stairs?" Oh. Oh no, he was about to explode in laughter. Too late, he already did. "Ahahaha!! I can't... Are you serious?? I can't believe it ahahah..."

  
Athela frowned, humiliated and sad. Ok, so it had been her fault for not remembering that houses could indeed have stairs, but... on the other hand, she wasn't to blame at all! Because last time Athela had been living in a house with stairs, she had only six years old! Maybe less. She wasn't used to houses with stairs... so she thought...

Oh, what was the point in trying to excuse herself. Flowey wouldn't care, and in fact he was still laughing. The poor skeleton felt her face heatening up, and she would've cried if it weren't for the flowers that were deeply buried inside her eyesockets. That would not stop her from feeling awful, anyway.

  
She kept silent, waiting for Flowey to finish laughing.

  
...

Well, technically, she wasn't silent just because of that.

  
What was she supposed to do now? Should she just... try again and hope that person would appear again? Should she wait for that person to get to her and rescue her? Would it be necessary to move at all from that spot? Or maybe she needed to fullfill some requirements in order for that person to appear, but... which?

Perhaps Flowey knew...

  
"Flowey," Athela was also curious about another thing. Her brain was working so fast, she had around a million questions. Of course, she knew he wasn't going to answer most of them, but at least she had to try.

"Oh, golly. I have to thank you for the best laugh I had in... I don't know, a lot of time," Flowey still sounded gleeful. Well, good for him. She would still ask her questions. First of all...

"Do you know where that person took me? And how much time I spent there before I..."

"Before you fell down the stairs like the blind klutz you are? Hee hee hee..." He was still chuckling. Maybe the fact that he was in such a good mood would prove useful for her.

"Yes. I just noticed... when I woke up, I felt awful," she made some unconscious hand gestures around her throat as she spoke. "And it was difficult for me to speak, but... now I feel fine."

  
A few seconds of silence.

  
"Well, it's not like your voice isn't rusty right now, you know?" Flowey giggled.

"I... It is?" What a surprise. But she felt fine... as... as fine as she could feel at the moment, that is.

"You spent there half a day, more or less." Finally, an answer. "Well, maybe you're just constipated. Would explain the throat ache."

"Consti... pated?" Athela rose an eyebrow to herself, trying to understand what the flower was saying. And even though he knew she couldn't see him, Flowey rose an eyebrow and gave her a look that said 'really?'

Maybe she could feel it if he stared hard enough.

  
"Yes. Constipated. Ill. You know what that means, right? You're sick, maybe you have the flu," there were many ways to say the same thing. At that last sentence, Athela seemed to recognize some of the words.

"Ah! Mom fell sick once. She told me she had the flu," Athela smiled proudly and started explaining how one day her mom had spent all day out and it had been raining and then she came back home completely drenched and the next day she spent all day in bed, red like a tomato because she felt sick. "And then I got her some wet towels because she said..."

"Aaaarrrgggghhhh I don't care what she said, shut up!!" Flowey's annoyed voice made the poor skeleton freeze up and shut it. "Okay, so you know what that is, but apparently you never fell sick yourself."

"But... I'm a skeleton. I can't fall sick, right?"

  
Athela heard a soft slapping sound, and then a deep, deep sigh.

What?

But could she fall sick or not??

  
"Whatever," another sigh from the flower, who just chose not to answer her at all. "I'll just guess that your parents did a good job protecting you from germs."

"What? But my dad..."

"I don't care!" Flowey almost yelled again as he tried to keep Athela from saying unnecessary things. "I don't care. Just... stop talking and just... er..."

  
Silence.

Athela wondered if something was up again, or...

  
"Actually, I don't know if you should just wait out again. It worked last time..." Ah, no, he had just been thinking. It seems he had problems tying up his new wicked plan. Because it surely was wicked, Athela had experience already and could tell.

"Who saved me, Flowey? Do you know?" If Athela had any other question for this wicked flower, she had forgotten by now. She was interested on other things.

"I do know," short, grumpy answer, and then some whispering that Athela managed to hear. "He almost saw me last time, would be problematic if... no, but maybe I should just make her wait and then.... but that would be boring, argh..."

"... Flowey?" Athela muttered, not really wanting to interrupt. But her thirst for knowledge was stronger than her fear. "Who was that...?"

"Shush." One short hiss was all that Flowey had to do to make the poor skeleton shut up. He sounded really angry and focused. "Gosh, you're just like a child, so inquisitive and all. Stay quiet for a second, you idiot."

  
Jeeze, she just wanted to know...

But... anyway, if she managed to reunite with that person again, then it would be no problem asking. Maybe she should get going and, with some luck, she would encounter them again.

...

But she still didn't know what the condition for meeting them was. Did she need to do something, or did they just appear at random? Before she had any time to double think, she had already stood up. Apparently, that confused Flowey.

  
"What are you doing now?" He inquired, voice still sounding annoyed. Oops?

"Er... I'm going to... the place where..." Athela didn't know how to answer in an appropriate way. Was there a way he would get less angry?

"Oh my God. You'll just die again if you do that.... ..... but be my guest, come on." Apparently not. Athela's lack of knowledge was throwing him off edge. What was she missing??

"Wait, no, but... what should I do then?" She pleaded.

"Not telling you."

"Pleaseee?" Pleading would've been completely humiliating if this wasn't really important for Athela. It was the chance to meet another friendly monster! A monster that cared enough to actually save her. There was something... that made her want to know this above anything. So she played the part. "If you tell me I will keep quiet!"

  
...

  
That seemed to convince him alright. Was Athela THAT annoying? The skelly seemed a bit hurt over this, but... Flowey was just downright mean, nothing she could do about it.

  
"Well, it has to do with TIME, duh," Flowey started explaining with a slow tone, as if she were stupid. Which was annoying. "The timeline in which you encountered him, you stood here for a lot of time, whining like the baby you are. Then he had time to get there to save you."

"Oooh...." That made sense. She was not a baby, but that was... obvious. How didn't she think of that too? ... Maybe because she wasn't really focused at the moment.

"So your best friend Flowey recommends that you wait here for at least twenty minutes. Then you can go and probably meet your doom!" Athela knew Flowey so well by then that she was already imagining how he was moving. He was probably sticking his tongue out at her again while he winked like a... like a ... creepy weed with... eyes and mouth.

  
Yes.

She needed to get better at this insult game.

 

Athela didn't say anything. And Flowey didn't say anything, either. They were just there, silently waiting. Oh, the wait was so hard... for both of them. Both of them were stubborn and impatient. One more so than the other.

Because she had promised to keep quiet, there was nothing Athela could say; not like she wanted to speak with her killer, but... still, silent was difficult to bear with if you knew you had company.

Tick, tock.

  
How tedious.

...

  
Athela had started counting the seconds, when a sneeze interrupted her train of thought. It was quiet and weak, but it was hers. Weird. She felt colder all of a sudden...

  
"Huh. Standing still must've been getting you sicker," Flowey didn't sound worried, only thoughtful. His comments were appreciated in that frozen lake of silence, though.

  
Anyway, Athela would've preferred her mother. She missed her so much...

  
"I'm moving. It's been a while already..." She indeed felt worse than before... better get moving before the cold manage to sink through her bones.

"..."

  
There was no answer.

  
That made Athela nervous. Was he still there, or did he leave? N-not like she needed Flowey to go on, she already knew the way and honestly that weed creeped her out with his every word. So it was better if he wasn't around.

But if he wasn't around she could not know where he was, if he was plotting something in the shadows... uh, that was unsettling too. It seems like no matter where or what was Flowey doing, he always managed to make her feel bad.

 

Well, as Athela was saying, she didn't need him. He probably just resumed his stalker schedule to see how she played his game. His game... Flowey's game...

  
Flowey game.

Floweystep.

Super Flowey Bros.

  
Athela was thinking names for this "game" as she walked. She brushed a pinetree with her left arm, and so she knew she had to change directions. It was impressive how she was able to move swiftly while being blind... she almost felt proud of herself. Not like she could feel really proud; being blind was mostly her fault for being so clumsy anyway.

Oh, but the game thing. A name for it.

  
It needed to have Flowey's name in it, because Flowey was narcissistic like that. Or at least, he looked like he was. So maybe... Flowey's adventure? Too long.

  
Floweyventure. Uh, no.

  
Flowey...

 

Floweytale!

  
...

  
"I don't have any taste at naming games..." The skeleton sighed, saddened by her poor naming skills. Well, the time to think about that was over. Now she needed to concentrate at the puzzles that were coming next.

  
She kinda missed the times Flowey would solve them for her to make it all go quicker.

  
But that was bad. She couldn't become dependent of him. Not **him** , of all people. She would nail those puzzles, and then she would meet the person who saved her again. Just you wait and see. She could do this.

* * *

 

  
Athela opened her eyes, waking up from her slumber. The usual blackness met her, and this time she smiled. She could feel the softness of a bed, the warmth of a blanket.

  
She did it.

 

  
Well, she did die once before managing to do it for real. But now she was there, safe and sound, protected inside a house away from all that snow and cold death. She sighed, relaxing at last. There was nothing to fear now. Only stairs. But that was fine, she would just stay there, waiting.

  
...

  
She... wasn't good at waiting.

 

Both the expectation and eagerness of meeting someone new were rushing through her head, she was literally restless. At least now she knew more or less where she was and could process everything better, but... ugh. Where was her savior?

  
Athela sighed, trying to calm down. Be patient, Athela. Just pretend it's like when you were back home, waiting for mom to come back from work. Sometimes she took almost an entire day, but she would always come back. This was the same, that person couldn't just go away forever, right? They had to return to check on her. Maybe they just went to... get something. Or... well, it was no use worrying about that now. She just had to wait.

...

She couldn't just wait there on that bed. She... she didn't feel really good, physically speaking, but her mind was eager. So she stood up, caressing her neck softly.

It was sore.

  
She coughed, and that was painful.

 

...

  
So... skeletons COULD get sick, huh.

 

"I'll be fine..." Athela muttered to herself as she stood up from the bed. She put on her boots again, and she started walking across the room. Of course, she wasn't going to get out of it; dangerous stairs were out to get her. Begone, foul beasts!

  
No, she was just going to check the room.

  
Patting her surroundings, the skelly made her way to a table. It had small things resting on top... something that felt like figurines. Articulate dolls? They were small... maybe the room belonged to someone who really liked playing with action figures. She liked them, too. It was fun to play and pretend they were out on a mission to save the dragon from the mean knight who only wanted the princess' money and status.

She smiled, remembering her silly games. It had been a while... maybe she should play again sometime, when she got back home.

  
She would do that, definitely.

 

Not wanting to mess with someone else's belongings for long, she moved on. Next thing she found was... a bookshelf. Yeah, she easily recognized that, she had like four at her house. Filled to the brim with books, comics, and other cool things that could be read.

This one also seemed to have a wide variety of books... thin, thick, big, small, soft, hard. Wow. She wanted to know so bad what all those books were about... too bad she couldn't read anymore.

....

  
Sighing sadly, she left the bookcase alone and kept going through the room. Better forget she couldn't do one of the things she loved anymore because of her blindness... by.. touching a doorknob.

Wow, what. Another door? But the door was in the opposite direction, wasn't it? Weird... was this one open?

  
"there are no skeletons inside that closet, ya know? except my bro, sometimes," Athela went stiff when a deep voice interrupted her train of thought and her actions. What a scare...

"I... I'm sorry, I just... wanted to check, and..." Not daring to move, the skeleton started to feel her bonecheeks heating up because of the embarrassment. Oops, she had been caught snooping around.

  
But the newcomer didn't seem to mind her nosiness, or at least it looked like he didn't, because he let out a short laugh.

  
"hey, no sweat, gal. not my closet anyway," he sounded nice. Athela liked that. And... judging by what he just said, she had been about to enter a closet. And not his closet. So this was someone else's room... which meant he wasn't the one who saved her, right? Or at least, that was what she could deduce. Her brain was working so fast due to sheer nervousness and anticipation to meet her hero. But, if he didn't save her, who did? She turned around to ask, while the other guy kept talking to her. "so anyway, i came to check up on you because **holy shit your eyes.** "

  
....

  
Oh. Oh, no, a swear. Bad word, bad.

  
"Er..." Athela felt uneasy. He sounded uncomfortable. Was he uncomfortable? So far, no one had said a word about her eyes... so why did he? No, but he sounded like he was really uncomfortable. She could hear him muttering something... what? she wasn't sure. But... whatever it was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Was she just... gross to look at, with all those flowers covering her eyes? Oh no, surely she was. Oh no, she was starting to feel anxious. No words came out of her mouth... what could she even say in a situation like this?

 

That moment of silence was slowly turning into a deep, awkward one. Seems like the other guy didn't know what to say either.

  
...

  
...

  
Uh...

 

"BROTHER, YOU BETTER BE HERE AS I ASKED!!" Thankfully, another person came through the door and broke the suffocating silence with his high pitched voice. Was it really high pitched or was he just really excited? Whatever it was, Athela could feel a deep relief and a sigh coming up.

"hey bro," yes, that other guy also sounded relieved. "guess what."

"WHAT? DID UNYNE SHOW UP? I'VE BEEN CALLING HER!" The newcomer... didn't notice Athela was there. Probably he was busy talking to his brother.

  
Wait... his voice... sounded so familiar.

  
"nah, not yet. it's something else."

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?" Oh, he was anxious to know. What his brother probably wanted to say is that she had woken up, but...

"well. you could ask her," ah, there it is.

"SANS, I CAN'T DO THAT, SHE'S STILL UNCONSCIOUS!! RIGHT, GIRL I DON'T KNOW YET?"

"........." Oh, oh no. He probably saw her and he didn't realize yet. That was so... funny?? She tried hard not to break into laughter. Best thing was that the other guy... Sans? was also silent, as if he were waiting for his brother to realize. Oh no.

"..."

"..."

  
Oh no. She was starting to break.

 

"OH MY GOD!" After a few moments, he seemed to realize. "YOU'RE AWAKE!!"

"Y-yes," She managed to say. It would be really rude to start laughing now. But gosh that was adorable.

"OH MY GOD!" He repeated, gleefully. However, his tone quickly changed to a scolding one. "SANS! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? I SENT YOU HERE TO CHECK UP ON HER!"

"she just woke up, that's why."

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES." Athela was enjoying this conversation.

"hey bro. she just woke up. aren't you gonna ask... **flower she doing?** "

  
...

Well, any joy she could've felt was gone now.

  
What was that? Was he... making fun of her? First, he sounded kinda grossed out about her flowers, and now he did this... oh... oh no, what if the other guy was also grossed out but was too polite to say anything about it? She wanted to hide in that closet forever.

  
"SANS!" There, he sounded displeased. With... his brother. Not her? "I WAS ABOUT TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW!"

  
She heard him approach, his steps creaking on the floor. His hands grabbed hers and shook them in an excited manner.

  
"HELLO! ARE YOU OKAY? I SAW YOU SLEEPING ON THE SNOW AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE FEELING SICK, SO I SAVED YOU! DON'T THANK ME!" He was still shaking her hands. What an enthusiastic guy.

  
Wait...

  
HE saved her!! Oh gosh he saved her.

  
"yeah, don't thank him. that's just his **daisy** routine. helping people and all." Sans said something else. Athela didn't get it at first... daisy? A daisy was a flowe... oh. Oh.

  
Well, he was definitely mocking her now. Why else would he mix up words with flowers after seeing her eyes? That... that was rude. She didn't like him anymore.

  
"UGH... SANS!!" Even her saviour seemed annoyed at his word choices. "DON'T MIND MY BOTHER, PLEASE. OH, I LIKE YOUR FLOWERS! THEY'RE GOLDEN, AND PRETTY!"

"What...?" Athela was confused.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN ANOTHER SKELETON THAT HAD FLOWERS IN THEIR EYES! THEY LOOK REALLY COOL." He seemed blatantly honest... she couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment. It wasn't really a compliment, because the flowers weren't really part of her body, but... he probably thought they were. Which made what he said, a compliment.

"Uh... t-thanks..."

"MY NAME IS PAPYRUS, BY THE WAY!" He just continued talking, excitedly. She felt like she would barely had time to talk, he was talking so fast... but she would manage to say her name, at least.

"I'm Athela... thanks for saving me, Papyrus," they just told her there was no need to thank him, but she would do it anyway, for she was really grateful. Also, his voice sounded REALLY familiar... when had she heard it before...? Think, girl, think...

"ATHELA! THAT'S A NICE NAME! IT SUITS YOU!" Papyrus seemed excited still. What a nice, cool guy. She was about to blush again... two compliments in a row! She felt better about being a gross flowery mess now.

"yeah, very appropriate," The other dude, Sans, seemed like he was giggling.

"UGH. SANS, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE LAUGHING NOW, BUT STOP IT. WE HAVE GUESTS!!"

"well that's because her name is a... er... ya know what, never mind," Athela got what he wanted to say. She had a flower's name. What. Was it so funny to him? Jeeze... great, she was salty again. Why did she feel like this...?

 

Anyway, it didn't matter. Maybe it was because she felt like a rug, her head hurt and her throat were aching... ugh. She coughed, covering her mouth because she was polite, unlike that Jerry dude from before.

This seemed to alarm Papyrus.

  
"OH, OH NO. SANS, SHE'S SICK!"

"just as you suspected, paps," Sans didn't seem surprised, though. "but we have medicine, so that's **snow problem** , right?"

"UGH. WAIT HERE, I'LL GO GET YOU SOMETHING!" And with that, Athela heard a door closing. He har probably left... leaving her alone with Sans. She was pretty sure she didn't fancy the guy that much by now.

...

Silence was uncomfortable. She decided to go back to bed, because she felt pretty dizzy. She felt like she was abusing their hospitality, but... maybe just five more minutes...

  
"the bed is the other way," Sans' voice made her jolt and change directions immediately.

"... Thanks."

  
...

  
There it was. The bed. She sat down and then... then what? Should she lie down? The other dude was right there, she didn't really feel like sleeping while someone else was watching. Uh...

  
...

  
This was... an uncomfortable situation, to say the least.

 

"so, you're not from around here, huh," Sans sounded closer now. Weird... she never heard him take a step.

"Not really, no..."

"uh... good. i guess," yep, he still sounded uncomfortable. "look, sorry about earlier. i just... i wasn't expecting to see..."

"It's okay. I get it," Athela cut him off, not really wanting to hear what he wanted to say.

 

Athela wanted Papyrus back.

  
But at least having Sans was better than having Flowey, right? She could bear this.

  
"welp, i think paps has it covered for now. i should get back to work," oh, he was leaving, good. Well, not 'good', but... at least the uncomfortable situation would be over...

"Fine," she answered, trying her best to not keep silent and made it all more violent.

"just a question before i leave, missy."

"... Yes?" She didn't know what to expect, to be honest. And... his voice, all of a sudden, sounded more serious.

"did you always have those flowers on you?"

  
...

  
What... was that question for?

  
Should... should she answer honestly? But... but she didn't feel like explaining her situation to him, and... it would be weird. Maybe he would not believe her... no, he would **definitely** not believe her.

And if she said no, and he started asking even more questions... it would probably become messy and...

...

  
"Yes," She lied. Her lie, a short and simple word, sounded heavy on her throat.

 

But she thought it was for the best.

 

" **. . .   i   s e e .** "

 

 

Athela didn't hear another sound. The silence grew deeper... until the door opened.

  
"I'M BACK! I THOUGHT WE COULD SHOW YOU AROUND AND... WHERE DID SANS GO?"

"... What?" Apparently, Papyrus was back, but... Sans left?

  
When did he even do that?

  
...

  
Okay, Athela was creeped out alright.

 

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Papyrus didn't even care that much, because he immediately changed topic. "ARE YOU STILL TIRED? I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW YOU AROUND!!"

"Er... sure..." Still confounded, Athela stood up from the comfy bed, and walked her way to where she thought the door was. Still unnerved.

 

  
Something was off, but she didn't know what.

 

 

 

  
**Athela - LV 1**   
**??????**   
**Nº Resets: 55**

 


End file.
